Newsletter
Federal cannabis pardon application under review (Newsletter: March 3, 2023)
WA Senate passes interstate marijuana commerce; Congressional psychedelics caucus; NM psilocybin bill; OK legalization early voting; FL 420k sigs
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The White House is reviewing a draft application form that people can fill out to demonstrate they were granted relief under President Joe Biden’s mass marijuana pardon.
The Washington State Senate passed a bill to legalize interstate marijuana commerce, pending federal policy changes.
Reps. Lou Correa (D-CA) and Jack Bergman (R-MI) are relaunching and rebranding a bipartisan congressional psychedelics caucus that they started last year.
The New Mexico House Health and Human Services Committee approved a bill to create a Psilocybin Advisory Group that would study creating a program for patients with certain mental health conditions to access the psychedelic for therapeutic use.
The Minnesota House Public Safety Finance and Policy Committee and Senate Labor Committee both approved companion marijuana legalization bills.
As early voting begins this week on an Oklahoma marijuana legalization initiative on Tuesday’s ballot, advocates are highlighting a new report detailing criminalization’s toll and touting a new ad featuring a former police chief who backs the reform.
The Florida campaign to place a marijuana legalization initiative on the 2024 ballot has now collected just over 420,000 valid signatures.
/ FEDERAL
A former U.S. attorney for Kansas authored an op-ed calling on the state’s lawmakers to legalize medical cannabis.
Sen. Pete Ricketts (R-NE) is scheduled to speak at a conference hosted by prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana on April 20.
/ STATES
The West Virginia Senate passed a bill to ban delta-8 and delta-10 THC products, as well as legislation concerning kratom.
The Indiana House of Representatives approved a bill to legalize and regulate kratom.
The Connecticut legislature’s Children’s Committee approved a bill to require safe storage labeling on cannabis products.
The Kentucky House Judiciary Committee approved a bill to decriminalize fentanyl test strips.
The Michigan Senate Committee on Regulatory Affairs took testimony from the state’s top marijuana regulator.
A Pennsylvania representative is circulating a cosponorship memo to build support for a forthcoming marijuana legalization bill.
A Kansas senator who is sponsoring a medical cannabis bill said that hostile hearings in a key committee are “probably” a pretense to kill the legislation.
New York regulators voted to double the amount of social equity dispensary licenses and approved revised marijuana packaging, labeling, marketing, advertising, laboratory and research rules.
Utah regulators filed revised rules on cannabinoid product registration and labeling.
Washington State regulators filed a statement of inquiry for vendor cannabis samples rulemaking.
California regulators published statistics on enforcement efforts against unlicensed marijuana operations.
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/ LOCAL
The San Francisco, California Board of Supervisors approved a measure to allow nonprofits to operate safe consumption sites for illegal drugs using private funds.
Los Angeles, California regulators updated their cannabis business licensing map.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Germany’s health minister tweeted back at a member of another party who criticized marijuana legalization plans, saying, “What’s so hard? Cannabis is for adults only. The dangerous black market and drug crime are fought.”
The governor of Kalinga, Philippines is calling on national lawmakers to legalize medical cannabis.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “demonstrated that cannabidiol is a viable therapy to treat prostate cancer cells.”
A review “indicated a beneficial effect of psilocybin-assisted therapy on [substance use disorder] symptoms.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Arizona Dispensaries Association and Arizona Poison and Drug Information Center are partnering on an effort to raise awareness about the potential dangers of accidental marijuana ingestion, particularly for children.
Leaders of the Oklahoma Farm Bureau, Oklahoma Cattleman’s Association and American Farmers and Ranchers are opposing the marijuana legalization initiative on the state’s Tuesday ballot.
/ BUSINESS
MariMed Inc. reported quarterly revenue of $35.8 million.
New Jersey lawmakers won’t say whether they are investigating Curaleaf over allegations hiding funding from a Russian oligarch.
Metrc is reportedly threatening to close Michigan businesses’ accounts over unpaid bills.
Illinois retailers sold $120.5 million worth of recreational marijuana products in February.
/ CULTURE
Filmmaker Kevin Smith said he no longer consumes marijuana.
Snoop Dogg entered into an agreement with Atlas Global Brands Inc. that gives the company the exclusive right to use his likeness to market cannabis products for medical purposes in Germany, Israel and Australia and for recreational purposes in Canada.
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