Newsletter
Federal legal cannabis bill gets vote this week in House panel (Newsletter: September 27, 2021)
More banks work with cannabis biz; Seattle psychedelics decrim advances; KC restricts marijuana testing; WashPost cannabis prisoner ad
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The House Judiciary Committee will vote on Chairman Jerrold Nadler’s (D-NY) federal marijuana legalization bill on Wednesday. The measure passed the full House last Congress but did not advance in the Senate. Advocates are hoping this time will be different.
The Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network reported that the number of banks and credit unions that say they’re serving marijuana businesses ticked up in the past three months following several quarters of declines.
The Kansas City, Missouri City Council approved the mayor’s proposal to ban pre-employment marijuana testing for most city workers.
The Seattle, Washington City Council Public Safety and Human Services Committee considered a measure to decriminalize psychedelics. The full Council is expected to take up the measure within the next few weeks.
The family of a marijuana prisoner took out a full-page Washington Post ad calling for his freedom and noting that large cannabis companies and celebrities—including Beyonce, Jay Z, Seth Rogen and others—stand to make money in the industry.
/ FEDERAL
The U.S. Department of Agriculture published a report on China’s hemp market.
Customs and Border Protection sent a warning to travelers to stop trying to bring marijuana through the Baltimore Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport.
Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) tweeted, “‘An estimated 321,000 Americans now work in the legal cannabis industry, outnumbering the country’s dentists, paramedics & electrical engineers.’ Yet the industry & their employees are still forced to operate in cash. It’s past time to pass #SAFEBanking.”
Rep. Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) tweeted that the National Defense Authorization Act “includes ‘red flag’ provisions that deprive servicemembers of their Second Amendment rights and a provision to allow illicit cannabis businesses to use the banking system, advancing the legalization agenda.”
The House bill to deschedule marijuana and fund programs to repair drug war harms got two new cosponsors for a total of 66.
/ STATES
California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) signed a bill on waivers and deferrals for marijuana licensing and application fees.
New York Gov. Kathy Hochul (D) reportedly dismissed Norman Birenbaum, director of cannabis programs under former Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D), whom advocates had opposed becoming the head of the new Office of Cannabis Management.
Mississippi’s lieutenant governor and House speaker asked Gov. Tate Reeves (R) to schedule a special session to consider medical cannabis and other legislation this Friday. Meanwhile, the Special Select Committee of the Legislative Black Caucus will hold a medical marijuana hearing on Tuesday.
The Washington State Supreme Court overturned a lower court’s decision that had allowed Chelan Count to shut down a marijuana business.
The Vermont Supreme Court ruled that evidence of marijuana and psilocybin mushrooms discovered during a search by a Customs and Border Protection officer is inadmissible in state court.
Illinois regulators are facing new lawsuits from companies whose applications for marijuana craft grower and transporter applications were disqualified.
Oregon regulators expanded a recall of products with mislabeled THC content.
Michigan regulators announced a voluntary recall of marijuana products due to use of a contaminated trimmer.
Oklahoma’s top medical cannabis regulator met with industry representatives.
New Jersey regulators published an updated list of medical cannabis dispensaries.
A former Maryland delegate authored an op-ed calling for a free market approach to regulating the marijuana industry.
Nevada’s Cannabis Advisory Commission Public Health Subcommittee will meet on Wednesday.
The Louisiana House Medical Cannabis Commission will meet on Friday.
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/ LOCAL
Anne Arundel County, Maryland School Board members expressed concerns about a state law requiring policies allowing medical cannabis use at schools.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Italian municipal elections officials are missing deadlines to certify signatures on a marijuana referendum, jeopardizing its chances of qualifying.
Gibraltar’s Parliament approved a medical cannabis bill.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A review concluded that “medical cannabis and cannabinoids may improve impaired sleep among people living with chronic pain, but the magnitude of benefit is likely small.”
The University of California, Berkeley’s Center for the Science of Psychedelics received five philanthropic donations worth a total of $7 million.
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Washington Post editorial board is urging the Biden administration to support safe consumption sites for illegal drugs.
The Des Moines Register editorial board is calling on Iowa lawmakers to legalize marijuana.
The Brookings Institution published a blog post calling on President Joe Biden to end the war on drugs.
The Marijuana Policy Project is hiring a legislative counsel for the southeastern U.S.
/ BUSINESS
MedMen Enterprises Inc. reported quarterly revenue of $42 million and a net loss of $46.2 million.
Vice looks at the tension between psychedelic companies that want access limited to a medical model and the broader decriminalization movement.
/ CULTURE
Football player La’el Collins was suspended for allegedly trying to bribe a drug test collector.
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