Newsletter
FDA says medical cannabis won’t jeopardize funding (Newsletter: August 24, 2021)
TX smokable hemp ban overturned; NJ local marijuana bans; UW-Madison’s new psychedelics center focus on diversity
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The Food and Drug Administration sent a letter giving Iowa officials some assurance that academic institutions in the state aren’t at risk of losing federal funding from the agency if they allow patients to use medical cannabis.
A Texas judge ruled that the state’s ban on manufacturing and selling smokable hemp products is unconstitutional.
More than 70 percent of New Jersey municipalities banned marijuana retailers ahead of a key deadline—but the development is not as simple as prohibitionists have framed it. For one thing, voters had no say in the decisions. And even some pro-commercialization officials adopted bans for now because they can be reversed at any time.
The University of Wisconsin-Madison School of Pharmacy is launching a new center focused on psychedelic research. A main goal will be to increase diversity among participants in studies, which have historically disproportionately involved white people.
/ FEDERAL
The U.S. Supreme Court again rejected requests to hear marijuana businesses’ tax disputes against the Internal Revenue Service.
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) tweeted, “There are steps we must take to fix our savagely broken criminal justice system. ✅ Legalize cannabis. ✅ Ban private prisons. ✅ End the failed War on Drugs—which has really been a war on people, disproportionately low income and Black and Brown communities.”
Rep. Jay Obernolte (R-CA) authored an op-ed about combating illegal marijuana grows and tweeted, “The Federal government must step in to help our law enforcement agencies eliminate the large-scale illegal marijuana grow crisis in Southern California and the cloud of organized crime that surrounds them.”
Missouri Democratic congressional candidate Henry Martin tweeted, “I know President Biden has it on the agenda, but today would be a great day for @POTUS to deschedule marijuana. Federal marijuana policy is stuck in the 60s and it’s time to make real progress in ending the war on drugs. Let’s do the right thing and end this reefer madness.”
/ STATES
Michigan’s attorney general participated in an event to help people expunge marijuana and other convictions.
Texas Democratic attorney general candidate Lee Merritt tweeted, “Fifty years. Over a TRILLION dollars spent. Countless lives lost and more locked up in a racist prison system. It is time to end the war on drugs.”
A possible New York special legislative session could include processing appointments to the state’s marijuana regulatory body.
A Mississippi representative spoke about the prospects for a special session to pass medical cannabis legislation.
West Virginia regulators are discussing allowing patients to grow their own medical cannabis.
A New Mexico regulator said recreational marijuana may sell out on the first day of sales.
Illinois regulators released hemp harvest numbers from the 2020 growing season.
Oklahoma regulators published an updated map of medical cannabis facilities by county.
Maine regulators published a list of licensed hemp growers.
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Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,200 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy 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.
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/ LOCAL
Boston, Massachusetts’s mayor signed an ordinance changing marijuana business approval rules.
Denver, Colorado regulators released draft rules on marijuana storage and service windows, and will hold a public hearing on September 10.
San Francisco, California Cannabis Oversight Committee will meet on Wednesday.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Morocco’s Cabinet approved a draft decree to legalize cannabis for medical and industrial purposes.
Germany’s federal drug commissioner endorsed decriminalizing possession of up to six grams of marijuana.
The leader of the Conservative Party of Canada said if elected prime minister he would continue allowing safe consumption sites to operate and said, “I don’t think someone with an addiction should be punished. I think they should be helped.”
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “long-term CBD treatment had an acceptable safety profile and led to sustained, clinically meaningful reductions in seizure frequency in patients with treatment-resistant” Dravet syndrome.
Researchers developed “an inhaled cannabis recent use test that correlates with impairment and helps protect against wrongful prosecution and workplace discrimination.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Republican Governors Association tweeted that New Mexico Gov. Michelle LujanGrisham (D) “claims a crackdown on crime is a priority but calls a special session on cannabis before she calls for controlling Albuquerque’s skyrocketing crime.”
The Florida Republican Party responded to a pro-legalization tweet from Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried, the agriculture commissioner, by saying, “You and your family are invested in the marijuana industry: conflict of interest!”
The Alabama Democratic Party tweeted, “You can’t spell healthcare w/o THC! The medical benefits of cannabis are widely known. Legalizing it for recreational use would remove barriers for folks just looking for pain management alternatives.” It also tweeted, “States across the nation are moving to address past policy errors and create new jobs and revenue by legalizing recreational cannabis. AL should be next.”
District of Columbia Marijuana Justice is planning a September 28 rally at the U.S. Capitol to protest Congress’s lack of action on cannabis reform.
The Conference of State Bank Supervisors published an updated marijuana job aid for bank examiners.
/ BUSINESS
Surterra Holdings Inc. sued its former communications manager for allegedly violating a noncompete agreement by taking a job with Trulieve Cannabis Corp.
Acreage Holdings, Inc. hired a new vice president of government relations.
/ CULTURE
T.I. tweeted about witnessing Kobe Bryant and Killer Mike discuss marijuana legalization.
Experts are concerned that coyotes that are high on drugs are attacking people in a Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada park.
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