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Kentucky House votes to legalize medical cannabis (Newsletter: February 21, 2020)

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NH House OKs legal marijuana; NY gov to tour legal states; Doctors: cannabis caused painful erections; NFL deal; USDA hemp plan approval

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

The Kentucky House of Representatives approved a bill to legalize medical cannabis.

The New Hampshire House of Representatives approved a bill to legalize marijuana possession and home cultivation.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said he will visit states that have already legalized marijuana to learn about their programs.

  • “I now want to literally go to California, Illinois, Massachusetts [and] sit with them. What was your plan? How did it work out? What did you learn? What can we incorporate?”

The NFL Players Association circulated a document outlining a proposed collective bargaining agreement approved by team owners that includes an end to game suspensions for marijuana, a testing window of just two weeks instead of the current four months and a higher THC threshold for positive tests.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved hemp plans from Washington State, Wyoming and several Indian tribes.

A new case study suggests marijuana was the cause of one man’s painful, unwanted 12-hour erection.

  • “The abstinence and subsequent use of cannabis were the only appreciable factors in this patient’s battle with recurrent unwanted erections.”

/ FEDERAL

President Trump assembled a team of advisors to recommend and vet candidates for clemency.

A Customs and Border Protection internal guide to dealing with border issues stemming from Canada’s marijuana legalization law was released as a result of a Freedom of Information Act request and related lawsuit.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture included a hemp-focused track at an agricultural outlook forum it is hosting.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) spoke about his opposition to legalizing marijuana.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) discussed his motivations for focusing on marijuana reform.

Texas Democratic Senate candidate Sema Hernandez tweeted, “Nothing wrong with decriminalizing and legalizing all drugs. Big Pharma wouldn’t know what to do. ✅End The War On Drugs! ✅Repeal The 1994 Crime Act!”

New Jersey Democratic congressional candidate Hector Oseguera tweeted, “Politicians in #NJ08 have an antiquated view of cannabis. I will end the #WarOnDrugs by: ✅Releasing those incarcerated on marijuana charges ✅Expunging convictions ✅ Prioritizing licenses to directly affected communities ✅Restoring voting rights”

/ STATES

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) signed a bill limiting the medical cannabis program to in-state residents. Here’s a look at how cannabis legislation fared this session.

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) tweeted about how people can apply for expedited pardons for marijuana convictions.

The Idaho Senate Agricultural Affairs Committee approved a hemp bill.

The Arizona House Health and Human Services Committee approved a bill to add opioid use disorder and autism spectrum disorder as medical cannabis qualifying conditions.

The Oklahoma Supreme Court will hear a challenge next week to one proposed marijuana legalization ballot initiative filed by the backer of another measure.

A Michigan court ruled that lying to police can remove one’s protection from being searched based on the smell of marijuana.

California regulators issued proposed rules for appellations of origin for marijuana.

Louisiana regulators began issuing hemp licenses.

Illinois regulators are accepting applications for grants to provide technical assistance to social equity marijuana license applicants.

Montana regulators held a public hearing on proposed medical cannabis rules changes.

Oregon regulators approved marijuana violation stipulated settlement agreements.

Colorado’s Retail Marijuana Public Health Advisory Committee will hold a public meeting on Monday.


Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,000 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 Morgantown, West Virginia City Council approved a proposal to let police issue fines instead of making arrests for low-level marijuana possession.

/ INTERNATIONAL

A Canadian government report concluded that while marijuana use among adults has increased since legalization, cannabis consumption by 15-17 year-olds has declined.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A study found evidence for “phytocannabinoids as a potential novel pharmacological tool to regain control of functional adipose tissue in unregulated energy homeostasis often occurring in metabolic disorders including type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM), aging and lipodystrophy.”

A study found that “people with [sickle cell disease] with more severe pain crisis are more likely to use daily cannabis, yet have lower rates of hospital admission and ER use as compared with others with similar disease severity and pain impact.”

/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS

A poll of New Zealand adults found that they initially support a marijuana legalization referendum, 46%-44%, and that support rises to 50%-42% when they are given details about the proposal.

A poll found that Florida voters support legalizing marijuana, 64%-34%.

Prohibitionist organization Smart Approaches to Marijuana launched a new initiative aimed at convincing localities to ban marijuana businesses or place restrictions on advertising and zoning.

/ BUSINESS

Hightimes Holding Corp. received regulatory approval to begin trading shares.

Charlotte’s Web Holdings, Inc. announced that its CBD pet supplements will carry seals of approval from the National Animal Supplement Council and the U.S. Hemp Authority.

/ CULTURE

TV host Kelly Ripa said she uses CBD as a sleep aid.

System of a Down bassist Shavo Odadjian is launching a marijuana brand.

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Tom Angell is the editor of Marijuana Moment. A 20-year veteran in the cannabis law reform movement, he covers the policy and politics of marijuana. Separately, he founded the nonprofit Marijuana Majority. Previously he reported for Marijuana.com and MassRoots, and handled media relations and campaigns for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

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