Newsletter
Former anti-legalization Trump official joins cannabis board (Newsletter: August 10, 2021)
NE medical marijuana ballot measures; Study: Cannabis sales spiked during COVID; Federal hemp memo spooks industry
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Former Health and Human Services Sec. Tom Price—who did not use his power to initiate a process to reschedule cannabis during the Trump administration and who voted against marijuana amendments as a member of Congress—is now on the board of a company that just won a Georgia medical cannabis license, according to documents obtained by Marijuana Moment.
Nebraska medical marijuana advocates unveiled a new strategy that involves putting two separate initiatives on the 2022 ballot to get around the single subject rule that doomed their 2020 effort.
A new study shows how legal marijuana sales hit record highs in multiple states during COVID-19, speculating that the addition of curbside pickup and other measures “to promote social distancing during the pandemic may have increased the convenience or ease of purchasing cannabis for certain customers” and that “individuals may have initiated or increased cannabis use to cope with stressors brought on by the pandemic.”
A recent memo from the federal Farm Credit Administration on financing for hemp businesses has the industry concerned it could discourage lenders from working with businesses in certain states.
/ FEDERAL
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) tweeted, “The War on Drugs has been a war on people. @SenBooker, @RonWyden, and I released our Cannabis Administration and Opportunity Act to end the federal prohibition, enact criminal justice reforms, and invest in communities hurt by the War on Drugs.”
Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ) introduced a bill to repeal a lifetime ban on people with felony drug convictions from accessing Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program benefits or assistance under programs funded by Temporary Assistance for Needy Families block grants.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) wrote a noncommittal response to a constituent letter about an amendment to protect state marijuana laws from federal interference.
Rep. Mike Garcia (R-CA) said “the legal cannabis business is suffering” because of “bureaucracies” that put them at a competitive disadvantage with illegal marijuana growers.
Pennsylvania Democratic Senate candidate John Fetterman, currently the state’s lieutenant governor, tweeted about the popularity of marijuana reform with voters.
/ STATES
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) met with Paiute Indian Tribe leaders to discuss their interest in entering the medical cannabis business.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis’s (D) administration is pushing to make the state a hub for hemp production.
Pennsylvania’s agriculture secretary is inviting proposals for block grants to fund projects on specialty crops, including hemp.
A California senator is resisting calls to delay consideration of his psychedelics possession legalization bill until next year while disagreements on possession limits are worked out.
Questions are being raised about Georgia regulators’ secretive process for awarding medical cannabis business licenses, and losing companies are filing protests to challenge the results.
Minnesota regulators are accepting public comments on petitions to add anxiety disorder as a new medical cannabis qualifying condition and gastrointestinal uptake infused edibles as an approved delivery method.
An Illinois judge held a hearing in a case challenging regulators’ marijuana business licensing process.
The New York Office of Addiction Services and Supports published a one-pager on the marijuana legalization law.
New Mexico’s Cannabis Regulatory Advisory Board will meet on Tuesday.
The Washington State Social Equity in Cannabis Task Force’s Technical Assistance & Mentorship Workgroup will meet on Tuesday.
Vermont regulators will discuss marijuana issues on Wednesday.
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/ LOCAL
Detroit, Michigan officials filed a court motion for a full trial to determine the legality of the city’s marijuana businesses licensing residency components.
Oakland, California officials will discuss loan and grant programs for cannabis equity businesses on Tuesday.
Sonoma County, California officials will host a visioning session about cannabis policy on Tuesday.
Nearly half of New Jersey municipalities are pursuing bans on marijuana businesses.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Gibraltar’s government is preparing a medical cannabis bill with the assistance of a former health minister.
A report concluded that an Israeli law intended to increase medical cannabis exports has failed to achieve its goals, and the country is instead a leading importer of the product.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A review concluded that “cannabinoids may be used in eczema, acne, pruritus, and systemic sclerosis treatment” and that CBD “may enhance hair growth via multiple mechanisms.”
A study of flies found that hemp seed ethanol extract ” alleviates depression-like symptoms by modulating the circadian rhythm-related behaviours, transcript levels of neurotransmitter receptors, and neurotransmitter levels.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Nebraska Democratic Party tweeted about a new medical cannabis ballot effort being led by a Democratic senator.
Community Anti-Drug Coalitions of America launched an action alert to encourage people to send letters to senators opposing pending marijuana legalization legislation.
The Virginia Marijuana Socialist Coalition is a new group pushing for equity in cannabis policies in the state.
/ BUSINESS
Leafly Holdings Inc. announced it will merge with Merida Merger Corp. I and trade on the NASDAQ.
Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. reported quarterly revenue of $312 million and a net loss of $9.8 million.
Acreage Holdings, Inc. reported quarterly net revenue of $44.2 million and a net loss of $3.3 million.
Maine retailers sold $9.4million worth of recreational marijuana in July.
Missouri dispensaries sold more than $21 million worth of medical cannabis in July.
/ CULTURE
Rapper Trap Beckham and manager TJ Chapman appeared to post photos of themselves smoking marijuana at former President Barack Obama’s birthday party.
Former football player Calvin Johnson used his NFL Hall of Fame acceptance speech to call on sports leagues to recognize the potential of “plant medicines” such as cannabis to serve as opioid alternatives.
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