Newsletter
Legalizing cannabis doesn’t increase youth use, AMA study finds (Newsletter: April 25, 2024)
Schumer on SAFE Banking; Fed ayahuasca settlement; Biden clemency; Top DARE officer on medical marijuana; DE cannabis banking vote; MA sales
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said senators will “do our best” to pass a marijuana banking bill “in a bipartisan way.”
- “We’ve got a lot to do. And if we can work in a bipartisan way, we will.”
Federal agencies including the Drug Enforcement Administration and Customs and Border Protection reached a settlement with an Arizona-based church that will allow members to import and use the psychedelic brew ayahuasca as a religious sacrament.
President Joe Biden granted clemency to 16 people with drug convictions, but marijuana reform advocates are pointing out that he still hasn’t released anyone from federal prison for cannabis offenses.
The Delaware Senate Health & Social Services Committee approved a House-passed marijuana banking bill that aims to provide state-level protections while federal legislation on the issue is pending.
A D.A.R.E. officer of the year spoke about how his brother-in-law used medical cannabis to treat pain while suffering from cancer. Meanwhile, the anti-drug group’s president discussed the “reality” of the CIA’s involvement in cocaine trafficking.
A new study published by the American Medical Association found “no evidence” that legalizing marijuana is “associated with encouraging youth marijuana use.”
- Legalization “was not associated with current marijuana use or frequent marijuana use,” the authors wrote, “After legalization, there was no evidence of an increase in marijuana use.”
The Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission announced that retailers in the state have now sold more than $6 billion worth of legal recreational marijuana products since the market launched—with a new one-day record being set on 4/20.
New York’s marijuana business financing plan is based on a “lopsided deal that undermines its commitment to social equity goals while guaranteeing substantial returns” for a private equity firm, a media investigation found.
Georgia lawmakers sent Gov. Brian Kemp (R) a bill to regulate hemp-derived products, including CBD and delta-8 edibles and drinks.
New Jersey lawmakers and marijuana activists are pushing to legalize home cultivation, which remains a felony more than two years since the launch of the state’s recreational cannabis market.
/ FEDERAL
The National Institutes of Health published an article that discusses the use of psychedelics to treat depression.
The Library of Congress noted a recent court ruling in the Netherlands that a defendant bank must offer a cannabis coffee shop owner an account and cannot categorically exclude that category of business from services.
/ STATES
Oklahoma’s attorney general celebrated the Senate’s passage of a bill to let police arrest and incarcerate undocumented immigrants, which he said will help combat the state’s “numerous illegal marijuana grow operations.”
A North Carolina senator spoke about his new campaign ad that spotlights his support for marijuana legalization.
Washington State regulators took actions on rules concerning medical cannabis endorsements for retailers and marijuana excise taxes.
Maine regulators issued guidance on marijuana product universal symbols and manufacturing facility registration certificates.
New Jersey State Police officers intervened in a protest at which activists planted marijuana at the State House.
The Massachusetts Cannabis Social Equity Advisory Board will meet on Friday.
Colorado officials will host a marijuana social equity vendor day on Friday.
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Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,400 cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy 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.
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/ LOCAL
Oakland, California officials are launching a cannabis internship and training program.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Canadian officials published an overview of cannabis consumption data. Separately, Manitoba’s government is reportedly moving to end the province’s ban on marijuana home cultivation.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “cannabidiol suppresses proliferation and induces cell death, autophagy and senescence in human cholangiocarcinoma cells.”
A study found that “C. sativa as a phytogenic additive to animal feed has a favourable antimicrobial and immunomodulatory effect in the production of broiler chickens.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Kentucky Association of Counties posted resources about medical cannabis.
/ BUSINESS
Cresco Labs workers in Fall River, Massachusetts voted to de-unionize.
Canadian retailers sold C$376.2 million worth of legal marijuana products in February.
/ CULTURE
“Trim Season” is a forthcoming marijuana-themed horror movie.
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