Newsletter
GOP congressman explains legal cannabis vote (Newsletter: September 3, 2020)
Polls: Big support for MS medical marijuana & DC psychedelics ballot measures; NORML helps draft impaired driving bill; CA cannabis & CBD bills update
Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day.
Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible…
Wait a sec! I could use your help. We need more subscribers to ensure the best possible cannabis news coverage between now and the 2020 election. If you can kick in a few dollars a month, we’d have funding to increase our reporting capacity in these critical final months.
Subscribe to us on Patreon and gain access to our Bill Tracker, exclusive audio from our interviews and more: https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment
/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
A newly released poll shows that Mississippi voters strongly support medical cannabis and are poised to approve an activist-driven initiative in November over a competing, more restrictive one placed on the ballot by lawmakers.
A new survey found that three out of five Washington, D.C. likely voters support a measure on the November ballot to decriminalize psychedelics in the nation’s capital.
In a new podcast, Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) explains why he’ll vote for a bill to federally legalize marijuana on the House floor this month despite concerns over social equity provisions he describes as “reparations” for the drug war.
- “The federal government has lied to the American people for a generation about cannabis.”
As California’s legislative session came to a close this week, lawmakers passed bills on marijuana banking, taxes and appellations. But a proposal to regulate hemp-derived CBD in food, beverages, cosmetics and dietary supplements stalled.
NORML had a hand in drafting a new impaired driving bill in Congress, helping to make sure that only evidence-based standards will be used when it comes to determining whether motorists are under the influence of marijuana.
/ FEDERAL
Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) tweeted, “The racist War on Drugs is a failed experiment that has devastated communities of color. It’s time to change these outdated laws and move toward transformative justice.”
Rep. Alan Lowenthal (D-CA) tweeted, “I’m proud to cosponsor this bold legislation. We can’t address systemic inequality in our criminal-legal system without serious efforts to decriminalize marijuana. Discriminatory drug enforcement is a deep source of injustice.”
The House bill to deschedule marijuana and fund programs to repair the harms of the drug war got six new cosponsors for a total of 93.
Oklahoma Democratic congressional candidate Danyell Lanier tweeted, “Next month, Congress will be voting on HR3884 #MOREAct.This bill would be a major step forward in the decriminalization of Marijuana at the Federal level. It would also empower states to implement programs that can encourage economic growth when it is urgently needed.”
/ STATES
Mississippi Gov. Tate Reeves (R), asked about the case of a woman serving a life sentence for cannabis, said, ““I don’t think that two ounces of marijuana should justify a lifelong sentence. However, I will also tell you that someone who is convicted of three different felonies, that is a problem.”
Utah Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris Peterson tweeted, “A majority of Utahns passed ballot measures on fair voting districts, medical marijuana, and Medicaid expansion. But politicians immediately watered-down these laws. I will protect propositions.” He also tweeted, “Growing up, my mother suffered from Multiple Sclerosis. I’ve seen firsthand the unrelenting pain many Utahns live with on a daily basis. While she has not used medical marijuana, I believe in empowering Utahns and their doctors with choices to safely alleviate suffering.”
The Nebraska Supreme Court will livestream arguments in a case challenging a medical cannabis ballot measure on Thursday. Meanwhile, the sheriff who filed the lawsuit explained his reasons for doing so.
The Texas House Democratic Caucus tweeted about a representative discussing the prospects for marijuana decriminalization in the next session.
The Oregon campaign to legalize psilocybin therapy launched an educational video about their ballot measure.
Arizona petitioners for Kanye West’s presidential campaign are reportedly using misleading tactics that imply people are signing petitions to support legalizing marijuana in order to get signatures to qualify the rapper for the ballot.
Guam regulators released proposed marijuana rules.
Washington State regulators amended rules on which entities must qualify for marijuana licenses.
California regulators released modified proposed rules for comparable-to-organic standards for marijuana.
Massachusetts’s attorney general announced that applications are open for two seats on the state’s Cannabis Control Commission.
—
Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,500 cannabis bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—
/ LOCAL
The Fayetteville, Arkansas City Council will consider a proposal to decriminalize marijuana on Thursday.
Los Angeles, California’s marijuana social equity program is the target of a new lawsuit.
The Sacramento, California City Council postponed a vote on approving marijuana dispensary licenses for minority-owned businesses.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said decriminalizing drugs is “not a silver bullet” solution to the overdose crisis.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found “no significant differences in pedestrian-involved fatal motor vehicle crashes between legalized cannabis states and control states following medical or recreational cannabis legalization.”
A review concluded that “cannflavins demonstrate a number of promising therapeutic properties, most notably as an anti-inflammatory agent.”
The Beckley Foundation is conducting a survey on psychedelics as pain management options, with a particular focus on microdosing.
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Drug Policy Alliance is hiring a chief operating officer and a managing director of communications.
/ BUSINESS
Eaze rolled out an expanded menu in Los Angeles featuring black- and people of color-owned brands, and launched a social equity partners program intended to assist and elevate equity license holders.
Weedmaps launched a docuseries on California’s challenges in implementing marijuana legalization.
The founder and president of Ample Organics resigned and sent a scathing letter about the leadership of Akerna, which acquired the company earlier this year.
An attorney who served as CEO of CWNevada has been charged with allegedly writing $400,000 worth of bad checks.
Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.
