Newsletter
Illinois lieutenant governor buys cannabis on 1st legal sales day (Newsletter: January 2, 2020)
Florida marijuana measure might not make ballot: lawsuit; Study: Psychedelics boost nature appreciation; Cleveland cannabis decrim vote this month
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Illinois Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton (D) was one of the first customers to buy marijuana on the state’s first day of legal sales. She purchased a bag of clementine-flavored cannabis gummies with a $100 bill.
Florida marijuana activists are suing state officials over signature collection policies that they say make it “substantially likely, if not certain” a legalization measure will fail to qualify for the state’s 2020 ballot.
- “It is thus substantially likely, if not certain, that initiative petitions will fail (i.e., they will not make the ballot for vote by electors in the 2020 general election), despite the fact such initiatives would or could have succeeded if not doomed by the impairments caused to petition circulators’ ability to register and timely begin circulating and collecting signatures in support of petitions.”
A study found “strong relationship” between using psychedelics and appreciation for nature.
- “The here presented evidence…bears relevance for psychedelic treatment models in mental health and, in the face of the current ecological crisis, planetary health.”
/ FEDERAL
Medical cannabis patients suing the Department of Justice over marijuana’s Schedule I status told the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit that any rescheduling petition they file would likely result in cannabis’s reclassification to Schedule II, an outcome they say is unacceptable.
The Food and Drug Administration is reportedly expected to announce a ban on most flavored e-cigarette cartridges this week.
New Jersey Democratic congressional candidate Hector Oseguera tweeted, “Ending the #WarOnDrugs requires restorative justice to those directly harmed, and must: ✅Release those incarcerated on marijuana charges ✅Expunge marijuana convictions ✅ Prioritize licensing to directly affected communities ✅Restore voting rights”
/ STATES
A problem with Illinois’s marijuana track-and-trace system caused temporary disruptions on the first day of legal sales.
Top Iowa police and drug policy officials are warning people that marijuana is still illegal in the state despite neighboring Illinois’s legalization law going online.
Alaska regulators will meet January 23-24 to consider marijuana rules and business licenses.
Oregon regulators published a fact sheet about CBD-infused beverages.
A Pennsylvania representative predicted that the state will legalize marijuana by 2022.
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/ LOCAL
A Cleveland, Ohio City Council member said he expects the body to vote on a marijuana decriminalization proposal this month.
Chicago, Illinois’s mayor tweeted, “It’s official: legalized cannabis is here in Illinois. To ensure safe, equitable implementation, my team has worked closely with community advocates and other key stakeholders to create some rules and regulations.”
The Harris County, Texas district attorney tweeted, “Today, on any given day, there are zero people in the Harris County jail for solely misdemeanor marijuana possession. The program model has also been extended to juvenile offenders, reducing those arrests by an expected 1,000 cases.”
/ INTERNATIONAL
Canada’s former health minister is calling for drug decriminalization.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “though some high CBD strains are available in the New Jersey medical marijuana program, the vast majority of strains that have been tested are the THC-dominant strains which contain less than 1% CBDA.”
A study found that “CBD can be effective in reducing seizure frequency.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist tweeted, “California testing the idea that Democrat taxes/regulation can be stupider and more destructive than prohibition. California has up to 50% tax on legal pot. Price gap between legal and illegal shops going to get bigger. Cannabis taxes go up Jan 1.”
/ BUSINESS
Sephora announced new loyalty program packages that include cannabis-infused makeup.
/ CULTURE
Actor Bruce Campbell tweeted, “Illinois governor clears thousands of marijuana convictions. And an extra special happy New Year to you!”
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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
