Newsletter
Feds launch cannabis testing accuracy initiative (Newsletter: July 23, 2020)
NY Senate OKs medical marijuana housing protections; Justice groups push Congress on legalization; MA lawmakers want cannabis $ for equity over cops
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The U.S. Department of Commerce’s National Institute of Standards and Technology launched a cannabis testing program aimed at ensuring accurate lab analysis and product labeling.
- “When you walk into a store or dispensary and see a label that says 10% CBD, you want to know that you can trust that number.”
The New York Senate passed a bill to protect patients from being evicted from their housing for using legal medical marijuana.
A coalition including the American Civil Liberties Union, Human Rights Watch, United Food and Commercial Workers Union, Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights, Drug Policy Alliance and NORML is calling on members of Congress to cosponsor a federal marijuana legalization bill amid the coronavirus pandemic and protests about police brutality.
Massachusetts lawmakers filed an amendment to a controversial police reform bill to make sure that any cannabis revenue funds devoted to law enforcement training “be equal to or less than” those for social equity programs to help people harmed by the drug war.
/ FEDERAL
President Trump included the Drug Enforcement Administration in a list of agencies he is sending to Chicago as part of a “surge” of federal law enforcement.
Former Central Intelligence Agency Assistant Director of Central Intelligence for Collection and Department of Homeland Security Chief Intelligence Officer Charles E. Allen published an oped urging federal agencies to stop rejecting job applicants due to marijuana use.
The House of Representatives approved the National Defense Authorization Act, which contains provisions to let military service members use hemp and CBD products, allow branches to grant reenlistment waivers to people who have used cannabis and remediate lands damaged by illegal marijuana cultivation.
The House of Representatives will vote on an amendment from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) to shift $5 million from the International Narcotics Control and Law Enforcement account to the Economic Support Fund.
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) said he hasn’t been involved in any discussions about potentially including marijuana banking legislation in the next coronavirus relief bill.
/ STATES
A second North Dakota group announced it has failed to get a sufficient number of signatures to place a marijuana legalization measure on the November ballot.
Alabama’s agriculture commissioner said he is “looking forward to Alabama products, Alabama-grown hemp, and Alabama-processed CBD oil being on the market.”
A California senator filed legislation to end mandatory jail sentences for people convicted of nonviolent drug offenses.
Oregon regulators proposed rules to ban processed non-cannabis additives from being added to inhalable marijuana products, and are holding advisory committee meetings about the draft.
The Minnesota Department of Agriculture is partnering with the University of Minnesota on a survey about hemp.
Maryland regulators will consider medical cannabis rules changes next week.
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/ LOCAL
The Folcroft, Pennsylvania Borough Council approved a marijuana decriminalization proposal.
The Aspen, Colorado City Council discussed, but deferred action on, the issue of allowing marijuana social use areas.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “whole dried Cannabis flower may be an effective medication for treatment of migraine- and headache-related pain, but the effectiveness differs according to characteristics of the Cannabis plant, the combustion methods, and the age and gender of the patient.”
A study concluded that “nonmedical marijuana legalization predicted a higher likelihood of self-reported past-year marijuana and alcohol use among youth when controlling birth cohort, sex, race, and parent education” but that “nonmedical marijuana legalization was not significantly related to past-year cigarette use or low perceived harm from marijuana use across youth aged 10–20 years.”
/ BUSINESS
EMMAC Life Sciences Limited plans to merge with Andina Acquisition Corp. III and begin trading on the NASDAQ.
Michigan retailers sold $90.4 million worth of marijuana products in June.
The Wall Street Journal looks at how fake online businesses are being used to process purchases for marijuana and other drugs.
/ CULTURE
Filmmaker Clint Eastwood filed two lawsuits accusing several companies and people of falsely using his name to sell their CBD products.
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