Newsletter
Lawmakers push VA to issue verbal cannabis recs (Newsletter: April 1y, 2020)
USDA OKs more hemp plans; CBO misunderstands marijuana research bill; Op-ed: Cannabis criminalization makes COVID crisis worse
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…
By starting a $10 per month pledge on Patreon—or about 45 cents per issue of this newsletter—you can help us rely less on ads to cover our expenses, hire more journalists and bring you even more marijuana news.
https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment
/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), House Rules Committee Chairman James McGovern (D-MA) and other Massachusetts lawmakers, in a letter shared exclusively with Marijuana Moment, are pushing the Department of Veterans Affairs to let its doctors verbally recommend medical cannabis to military veterans during the coronavirus pandemic.
A Congressional Budget Office analysis of a veterans medical cannabis research bill approved by a House committee last month seems to greatly misunderstand the legislation’s provisions—calling into question the validity of the fiscal projections.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture approved hemp plans for Florida, Kansas and three Indian tribes.
An op-ed from Marijuana Policy Project Executive Director Steve Hawkins published by Marijuana Moment examines how cannabis criminalization undermines the coronavirus response.
- “As we dare to look beyond the crisis, it seems clear that states with legal cannabis markets will have a significant advantage over other states as the economy recovers from this pandemic.”
/ FEDERAL
Maryland Democratic congressional candidate Sheila Bryant said, “One of the first things I will do when I’m elected — I’m talking it into existence — is to work to legalize marijuana on a federal level, and to exonerate and expunge the records of those people who’ve been incarcerated for marijuana possession or sales.”
Virginia Republican congressional candidate Heerak Christian Kim tweeted, “President @realDonaldTrump supporting illegaization of marijuana is the way to break the cycle of poverty in African-American urban areas.”
/ STATES
Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor replied to tweet about allowing PMS as a medical cannabis qualifying condition by saying, “PA should just qualify for legal marijuana, period.”
The Florida Senate is pointing to a new state law on ballot initiatives to urge the state Supreme Court to block a marijuana legalization proposal. Meanwhile, an administrative law judge recommended that regulators dismiss a complaint alleging that a doctor had improper ties to a medical cannabis company and did not adequately evaluate an undercover investigator seeking a recommendation.
A Massachusetts judge denied marijuana businesses’ request for a preliminary injunction against Gov. Charlie Baker’s (R) coronavirus shutdown of recreational shops.
The Minnesota House Judiciary Finance and Civil Law Committee held a hearing on a hemp bill.
Ohio regulators are establishing a new process for calculating medical cannabis 90-day supply limits in response to patient complaints.
Alaska regulators discussed but did not decide on proposed emergency rules to allow phone and online orders of marijuana amid the coronavirus pandemic and will reconvene for a possible vote on Friday.
—
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
Denver, Colorado’s Audit Committee released a report finding that regulators are not effective in ensuring that marijuana taxes are reported and paid.
Los Angeles, California regulators made recommendations on changes to marijuana social equity program application processing procedures they say will provide a more equitable path forward for all applicants.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study of opinions in Washington State found that “positive effects were the most frequently reported when residents were questioned about effects they have noticed as resulting from legalization” and that residents “generally remain supportive of recreational legalization.”
A review concluded that “cannabis has a bronchodilator effect on the airways and might have an anti-inflammatory effect on asthmatic patients,” but that “harmful effects on the lungs are mainly attributed to smoking and include airway irritation and the development of chronic bronchitis symptoms” and that ultimately “cannabis has some benefit, yet there are many harmful effects on the lungs.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
New trade group the Cannabis Beverage Association launched.
United Food and Commercial Workers is calling on Congress to let the Small Business Administration issue loans to marijuana businesses.
/ BUSINESS
Canopy Growth Corporation is closing cultivation facilities in Canada, the U.S., African and Latin America and will lay off about 85 staffers.
CannTrust Holdings will be delisted from the Toronto Stock Exchange on May 6.
Greenbits raised $23 million in Series B funding.
Dr. Bronner’s Magic Soap made a $50,000 matching donation to the campaign behind Oregon’s proposed therapeutic psilocybin legalization ballot measure.
A creditor claimed in a civil lawsuit that it is owed the deeds to homes of current and former MedMen executives stemming from an investment guaranty.
Arizona medical cannabis sales rose 15% in March.
/ CULTURE
Horse trainer W. Bret Calhoun has been suspended over a horse testing positive for CBD.
The Onion published a spoof story on DMT researchers urging trippers “to maintain an interval of at least 6 feet from their own body” and “wipe down all contaminated celestial planes, upon which the virus can reportedly transcend any perceived notions of time” during the coronavirus pandemic.
Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.
Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.