Newsletter
Denver mushroom measure passes with all votes counted (Newsletter: May 9, 2019)
State AGs/treasurers endorse cannabis banking; House committee slams Schedule I research blocks; GOP rep tells Dems: Focus on marijuana, not Trump
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There are now 1,073 cannabis-related bills moving through state legislatures and Congress for 2019 sessions.
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Denver, Colorado’s ballot measure to decriminalize psilocybin mushrooms passed after all the votes were counted—despite that fact that it trailed late on Tuesday after most ballots were counted and local media outlets had projected it lost. The city is the first in the U.S. to make such a move.
The attorneys general of 38 U.S. states and territories and the treasurers of 17 states sent letters pressing Congress to pass marijuana banking legislation. In a related move, the National Association of Attorneys General formally endorsed a pending cannabis financial services bill.
In a new report, the House Appropriations Committee criticized the way marijuana’s Schedule I status blocks research and called for for increased studies into CBD and kratom as opioid alternatives.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) argued during a House Judiciary Committee hearing that Democrats should stop investigating President Trump and instead focus on marijuana and criminal justice reform. The comments came one day after the congressman slammed the House majority for canceling votes on bills concerning veterans’ medical cannabis access.
New data from the U.S. Sentencing Commission shows a sharp decline in federal marijuana trafficking prosecutions as more states enact legalization, bolstering reform advocates’ arguments that consumers would rather buy regulated products from legal stores instead of from cartels smuggling over the border.
/ FEDERAL
The head of the Department of Veterans Affairs’s Veterans Health Administration claimed in congressional testimony that the department is not allowed to study psychoactive components of marijuana.
The Food and Drug Administration tweeted a reminder about a Friday deadline to “make a presentation/comments at #FDA’s public hearing on products containing cannabis & cannabis-derived compounds.”
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), a presidential candidate, said during a town hall that she supports letting states legalize marijuana.
The reelection campaign of Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) is selling a t-shirt playing off his “Cocaine Mitch” nickname and is inviting people to “become an official member of the Cartel” by buying one.
Rep. Jimmy Panetta (D-CA) tweeted, “Under current federal banking laws, legal cannabis businesses are forced to operate on a cash-only basis- creating a public safety risk & providing opportunity for tax evasion, money laundering, and other crimes. I cosponsored #SAFEBankingAct for a safer & better regulated system.”
Rep. Ben Ray Luján (D-NM) tweeted, “Forcing legal businesses to operate in a cash-only system is unsafe and unfair. Legal cannabis businesses should be able to use our banking system like any other small business – let’s pass the #SAFEBankingAct to make that a reality.”
The House marijuana banking bill got four new cosponsors, for a total of 173.
The House bill to require the Department of Veterans Affairs to study medical cannabis got two new cosponsors, for a total of 62.
/ STATES
Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R) announced he will sign a hemp bill on Friday.
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) tweeted, “I look forward to signing into law the #hemp bill that just received final approval in the #CTHouse tonight! This will strengthen our efforts to grow our agricultural economy and create jobs, and do so in a responsible manner for #Connecticut’s farmers.”
Puerto Rico Gov. Ricardo Rosselló Nevares (NPP) announced that the territory will waive medical cannabis registration fees for the first 125,000 patients.
The Texas House of Representatives gave final third-reading approval to a bill to expand the state’s medical cannabis program. Meanwhile, the Senate Agriculture Committee held a hearing on a House-passed hemp legalization bill.
Vermont’s Senate president and House speaker indicated that marijuana sales legalization legislation may have to wait until next year.
The Alabama Senate began debate on a medical cannabis bill. Meanwhile, the House Judiciary Committee narrowly defeated a marijuana decriminalization bill.
The Louisiana House Agriculture Committee rejected emergency medical cannabis regulations.
The Maine legislature’s Judiciary Committee held a hearing on bills to expunge or seal marijuana conviction records.
Illinois representatives filed a resolution calling on the Department of Agriculture to conduct a study on “whether minority and women-owned businesses face any barriers that prevent the equitable participation” in the marijuana industry.
A New York senator said a revised marijuana legalization bill will probably be released next week.
A post on the Minnesota House of Representatives website quotes lawmakers on whether it is appropriate to legalize marijuana through a constitutional amendment.
Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee recommended adding anxiety and autism as qualifying conditions, while rejecting depression, insomnia and opioid addiction. Separately, regulators recalled medical cannabis oil due to mislabeling of THC content.
Michigan regulators released guidance on solid waste and hazardous waste rules for growing and processing marijuana.
Nevada regulators are being accused of improperly using a temporary employment service to screen hundreds of marijuana dispensary license applicants
The Associated Press looks at California’s slow adoption of a marijuana track-and-trace system.
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Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,000 cannabis bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
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/ LOCAL
The Louisville, Kentucky Metro Council is considering a proposal to decriminalize marijuana.
The Maricopa County, Arizona county attorney’s office admitted it erred in directing a medical cannabis patient to a drug diversion program under threat of felony charges.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Canadian regulators changed marijuana licensing rules to require new medical cannabis cultivation, processing or retail applicants to have fully built sites meeting all necessary requirements at the time of their applications.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “patients with [chronic pelvic pain] are self-treating with cannabis and finding this to be an effective intervention.
/ OPINION & ANALYSIS
A poll found that likely Iowa 2020 caucusgoers support legalizing marijuana, 53%-44%.
/ CULTURE
The commissioner of the XFL football league said he would “prefer not to test for marijuana.”
Musician Tom Morello tweeted in support of New Jersey marijuana legalization legislation, calling it a “racial justice issue.”
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Trump campaign attacks Biden’s drug war record. Poll: 2/3 AZ voters back legal marijuana; Booker calls out cannabis arrest disparity
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The White House Office of Management and Budget is reviewing draft Food and Drug Administration guidance on marijuana and CBD research.
President Trump’s reelection campaign is attacking presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden as “the chief architect of mass incarceration and the War on Drugs, which targeted Black Americans.”
- “Joe Biden’s policies destroyed millions of black lives. Joe Biden may not remember. But we do.”
A poll found that two-thirds of Arizona likely voters support a marijuana legalization measure that is on track to qualify for the November ballot.
- “All signs point to 2020 being the year that recreational marijuana finally becomes legal in Arizona.”
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) cited racial disparities in marijuana enforcement as an example of what’s motivating police accountability protests.
- People “can’t get a job, can’t get a loan from the bank for doing things that two of the last three presidents have admitted to doing.”
In an op-ed, NORML Executive Director Erik Altieri makes the case for how legalizing marijuana is just one part of the broader fight for racial justice, but an important one.
- “Of course, marijuana prohibition isn’t the sole cause of America’s racial inequities, nor is it the sole reason why certain members of the police continue to engage in racially-aggressive policing and misconduct. But its criminalization is one of the tools commonly used to justify and perpetuate these injustices.”
/ FEDERAL
The Drug Enforcement Administration has been given temporary authority to “enforce any federal crime committed as a result of protests over the death of George Floyd” and to “conduct covert surveillance” on protestors.
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) spoke during a Judiciary Committee hearing about a man who died of coronavirus while serving a federal prison sentence for marijuana.
Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said, “We hold more prisoners, by far, than any other country in the world. This is largely due to the failed war on drugs, which disproportionately and unjustly targeted people of color.”
Rep. Jamie Raskin (D-MD) said that “too often marijuana arrests and prosecutions are a gateway to criminalizing the minority population.”
/ STATES
U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. (D) reiterated his call for lawmakers to pass marijuana legalization legislation and celebrated federal approval of the territory’s hemp program.
Maine regulators are being sued over a decision not to enforce a state residency requirement for marijuana business licensees.
California regulators are seeking funding to hire 87 officers to enforce marijuana rules.
The Connecticut legislature’s Regulations Review Committee approved adding Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome and certain instances of chronic pain as medical cannabis qualifying conditions.
Massachusetts regulators are investigating the looting of multiple marijuana dispensaries.
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Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,500 cannabis bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
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/ INTERNATIONAL
The UK secretary of state for health and social care pledged to look into medical cannabis access delays.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A review concluded that “there is substantial evidence for the effectiveness of cannabis and cannabinoids in treating cancer-related pain; specifically, oromucosal THC/CBD spray” and that “there is conclusive evidence for the effectiveness of cannabis and cannabinoids in relieving chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting; specifically, oral THC.”
A study found that hemp protein products “may improve chronic inflammatory states and promote regenerative processes.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights led more than 400 organizations in calling on Congress to enact policing reforms, including legislation to “prohibit the use of no-knock warrants, especially for drug searches.”
Students for Sensible Drug Policy is organizing a virtual lobby day next week.
/ BUSINESS
Hightimes Holding Corp. plans to launch a marijuana delivery service in California next month.
PetSmart is being sued for allegedly using false and deceptive practices to sell hemp products for pets.
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MI lawmakers vote on letting their spouses get marijuana licenses; MedMen closes all stores; Study discovers cannabis use at ancient biblical site
Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day.
Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible…
There are now 1,506 cannabis-related bills moving through state legislatures and Congress for 2020 sessions.
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Louisiana lawmakers sent Gov. John Bel Edwards (D) a bill to let doctors recommend medical cannabis for any debilitating condition they see fit. They also approved legislation on marijuana business banking access, legal immunity for doctors and a study on the cannabis industry workforce.
The Michigan House of Representatives is set to vote Tuesday on a bill to let elected officials’ spouses get medical cannabis business licenses. Meanwhile, many people with past drug convictions remain ineligible.
Researchers discovered evidence of marijuana use at an ancient biblical site in Israel.
- “It seems likely that cannabis was used at Arad as a deliberate psychoactive, to stimulate ecstasy as part of cultic ceremonies.”
MedMen has closed all of its marijuana stores nationwide following the looting of several locations over the weekend.
/ FEDERAL
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) and Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), in a letter to Attorney General William Barr about transferring incarcerated people to home confinement, cited the case of a man who died from coronavirus while serving a marijuana sentence.
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) said in a press release that “the history and trauma of racism and Jim Crow is not a memory of the past, but is a reality still today, exacerbated by the fact that Black Americans are disproportionately the targets of injustices ranging from mass incarceration and police brutality, to the War on Drugs and COVID-19.”
Virginia Democratic congressional candidate Qasim Rashid tweeted, “We must decriminalize & stop the drug war, invest in treatment, invest in training officers, stop militarization of police, and divert those resources to education & healthcare.”
New York Democratic congressional candidate Suraj Patel tweeted, “Sentencing disparities, selective enforcement of the law, and police brutality disproportionately harm Black Americans. We must legalize marijuana and retroactively expunge all marijuana related records.”
/ STATES
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) signed a bill tying state approval of cannabis-based medicines to federal law.
West Virginia Democratic gubernatorial candidate Stephen Smith tweeted, “We’re the only leading campaign that supports full cannabis legalization. With that extra $194mil/year, what would you fix first?”
The Rhode Island Supreme Court upheld the dismissal of a lawsuit from a medical cannabis patient who was fired by his employer for refusing to take a drug test.
The Virginia State Police reported that marijuana arrests declined more than eight percent from 2018 to 2019.
Missouri regulators have approved more than 50,000 medical cannabis patients and caregivers.
Ohio regulators sent reminders about medical cannabis vaporizer requirements and the issue of dispensaries permitting entry to non-patient juveniles.
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Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,500 cannabis bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
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/ LOCAL
A majority of Baltimore, Maryland mayoral and City Council candidates said in a survey that they would “actively support establishing overdose prevention sites.”
/ INTERNATIONAL
A former New Zealand prime minister is part of a campaign urging voters to approve a marijuana legalization referendum.
Maltese regulators said they are weighing five applications to cultivate cannabis for medical and research purposes.
Colombian regulators touted a new digital tool they are using for medical cannabis licensing.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “inhaled cannabis acutely reduced PTSD symptoms by more than 50%” and “higher doses of cannabis predicted larger reductions in anxiety and intrusions,” but “cannabis did not appear to improve or worsen PTSD symptoms in the long-term.”
A study concluded that “hemp supplementation improved HDL cholesterol, tended to support psychometric measures of perceived sleep, stress response, and perceived life pleasure and was well tolerated with no clinically relevant safety concerns.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Minority Cannabis Business Association issued a statement of solidarity with people protesting police violence.
/ BUSINESS
PAX Labs launched a web-based desktop app to control its vaporization devices after Apple removed its former product from the App Store.
Acreage Holdings, Inc. announced it entered into two agreements worth up to $60 million in gross proceeds.
Leafs by Snoop is the most recognizable cannabis brand, according to a survey conducted by Green Horizons.
Oklahoma dispensaries sold more than $73 million worth of medical cannabis products in May.
/ CULTURE
A survey found that 49.5% of MMA fighters currently use marijuana, and 76.5% say they have used CBD products.
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Biden puts medical marijuana in disability plan; Lawmakers tie war on drugs to police brutality; Study: Cannabis use can put THC in semen
Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day.
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By starting a $10 per month pledge on Patreon—or about 45 cents per issue of this newsletter—you can help us rely less on ads to cover our expenses, hire more journalists and bring you even more marijuana news.
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden’s new disability plan includes a pledge to “prioritize the research needed to advance science-based federal policies related to the use of marijuana for medical conditions, chronic pain, and disabilities.”
A new congressional resolution filed by Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), Ilhan Omar (D-MN), Karen Bass (D-CA) and Barbara Lee (D-CA) highlights the war on drugs as a driver of police brutality against people of color. It comes as protests erupt over the killings of George Floyd and Breonna Taylor.
- “The system of policing in America, and its systemic targeting of and use of deadly and brutal force against people of color, particularly Black people, stems from the long legacy of slavery, lynching, Jim Crow laws, and the War on Drugs in the United States and has been perpetuated by violent and harmful law enforcement practices.”
Rapper Berner, whose Cookies cannabis dispensary in Los Angeles was looted on Saturday night, says justice for people brutalized by police is more important than business.
- “As a human living in the world we’re living in today, I cannot expect anything less until justice is served. We can rebuild our store, but you cannot bring someone back to life.”
A study found that THC can be detected in the semen of some frequent marijuana consumers.
- “It is puzzling that some, but not all, semen samples tested positive for THC. There were no obvious factors that were strongly associated with detectable semen THC.”
/ FEDERAL
A Department of Justice statement of interest supporting a Colorado church’s lawsuit challenging coronavirus-imposed restrictions notes that marijuana dispensaries are classified by the state as critical businesses.
Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh, in a dissenting opinion in a case in which the majority rejected a California church’s challenge to restrictions on attendance at religious services during the coronavirus pandemic, wrote that comparable secular businesses, such as cannabis dispensaries, are not subject to similar occupancy limits.
A federal judge rejected Grandpa Bud LLC’s claim that its marijuana growing operation retroactively banned by Washington State county officials is a protectable property under the Constitution.
Sen. Bill Cassidy (R-LA) tweeted, “Any time you mention marijuana more times than jobs in a 1,800-page bill costing $3T that’s supposed to support jobs, it’s obviously not a very serious bill. We need to consider real solutions to solve the public’s problems, not Pelosi’s desire to implement her liberal agenda.”
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-OH) tweeted, “The history & trauma of racism and Jim Crow is not a memory of the past, but is a reality still today, reinforced by the fact that Black Americans are disproportionately the targets of injustices ranging from mass incarceration & police brutality, to the War on Drugs & COVID-19.”
Kentucky Senate candidate Mike Broihier tweeted, “We need to come to terms with the failed War on Drugs. Our communities have been treated like war zones. And African-American casualties keep growing.”
/ STATES
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) extended a coronavirus executive order allowing online ordering and curbside pickup at marijuana dispensaries and letting doctors issue medical cannabis recommendations via telemedicine.
Vermont Democratic gubernatorial candidates all agreed on legalizing marijuana sales during a debate.
North Carolina Democratic agriculture commissioner candidate Jenna Wadsworth tweeted, “Decriminalize marijuana. Dismiss past misdemeanor possession charges. Free people from a broken, overcrowded, & sometimes corrupt prison system. Combat the school to prison pipeline. Alleviate an overburdened court system from unnecessary possession cases. Legalize cannabis.”
Texas regulators adopted hemp seed certification standards.
Kentucky regulators announced they have licensed 960 hemp growers to grow up to 32,000 acres and 150 hemp processors and handlers for 2020.
Vermont regulators announced that hemp rules they filed have taken effect.
A New Mexico senator said lawmakers should consider legalizing marijuana as a revenue booster during an upcoming special session.
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Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,500 cannabis bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—
/ INTERNATIONAL
A majority of Israeli government ministers support legalizing marijuana or regularizing the medical cannabis market.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A review concluded that “current evidence does not suggest that prenatal cannabis exposure alone is associated with clinically significant cognitive functioning impairments.”
A study found “a high prevalence of work-related allergic- and particularly respiratory symptoms in the employees of one indoor cannabis grow facility in Washington State.”
/ BUSINESS
Canopy Growth Corporation reported C$115 million in quarterly revenue and a net loss of C$1.3 billion.
CannTrust Holdings Inc. announced that Canadian regulators reinstated one of its marijuana licenses.
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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
