Newsletter
GOP chair says let states decide on cannabis (Newsletter: August 28, 2020)
NE cannabis ballot challenge rejected; Lee: Biden must evolve on marijuana; Concerns on DEA’s hemp & CBD rules; Markey & Kennedy talk legalization
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Nebraska’s secretary of state rejected a last-minute legal challenge to a medical cannabis initiative that collected enough signatures from voters, clearing its path to the November ballot.
Republican National Committee Chairwoman Ronna McDaniel said in a new interview that marijuana “should be left up to the states.”
- “That’s going to be left up to the states and our legislators and I’m not going to engage in something that hasn’t been vetted through our full platform and the ability for our delegates to meet to discuss an issue like that.”
Congressional Cannabis Caucus Co-chair Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) said that Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden is going to have to come around to supporting marijuana legalization at some point.
- “Just as President Obama evolved around marriage equality, Joe Biden’s gonna have to evolve around legalization.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration issued hemp and CBD rules last week that the agency said are meant to simply put it in compliance with the crop’s federal legalization. But industry advocates suspect that something more sinister—perhaps a crackdown on businesses—could be in the works.
Primary rivals Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) and Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA) spoke about marijuana issues in a forum, with the senator predicting that federal legalization would happen next year under a Democratic administration and both addressing cannabis industry equity issues for communities targeted under the war on drugs.
/ FEDERAL
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention will host a webinar called “Marijuana and Driving: How to Keep Your Fleet Safe” on September 16.
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) touted his reelection endorsement from Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) and said he is “helping lead the charge” on “decriminalization of marijuana.”
/ STATES
A spokesperson for Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) said he doesn’t support legalizing marijuana to help with economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. Separately, regulators issued emergency rules allowing medical cannabis edibles.
Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor discussed his support for legalizing marijuana.
A California court ruled that a man convicted of auto theft should not have been barred from using marijuana as a condition of his probation.
Colorado regulators issued a health and safety advisory about potentially unsafe levels of microbial contamination on marijuana flower produced by Sundance Gardens.
A member of Massachusetts’s marijuana regulatory body is stepping down.
It’s not clear how many people are benefitting from a New Hampshire law that allows people to annul past marijuana convictions.
Michigan regulators issued guidance about the procedure for dropping off hemp samples for testing and for the use of hemp in animal and pet feed.
Rhode Island regulators released guidance on warnings that dispensaries must display when selling medical cannabis products.
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/ LOCAL
Buffalo, New York’s mayor said he won’t allow no-knock drug raids in the city.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A review concluded that “use of CBD as an adjunct resulted in decreased seizure frequency, and secondary benefits observed included improvement in mood, alertness and sleep.”
A review concluded that “treatment of existential distress using classical psychedelics or ketamine in patients with terminal illness seems auspicious.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Pennsylvania Chiefs of Police Association supports decriminalizing marijuana but opposes legalization.
/ BUSINESS
Jushi Holdings Inc. reported $14.9 million in quarterly revenue and a net loss of $9.3 million.
Tilray is recalling additional batches of medical cannabis extracts that were mislabeled with incorrect THC content in Germany.
/ CULTURE
Family Feud did a question about what kind of plant a “mean wife might replace her husband’s marijuana stash with.”
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Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.
