Newsletter
Missouri 2020 cannabis legalization effort launches (Newsletter: January 31, 2020)
Bernie Sanders aides float marijuana executive action in memo; USDA gets 4,600+ hemp comments; Paul Ryan disagrees with John Boehner on cannabis
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Missouri activists launched a signature gathering drive to put a marijuana legalization measure on the state’s 2020 ballot.
Top aides to Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a presidential candidate, included federally legalizing marijuana in list of potential executive orders to be signed in his first days as president.
The U.S. Department of Agriculture got more than 4,600 public comments on proposed hemp rules prior to this week’s deadline, including from state agencies, congressional delegations and advocacy groups.
Former House Speaker Paul Ryan (R-WI) said he disagrees with fellow former speaker John Boehner (R-OH) when it comes to marijuana.
/ FEDERAL
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Stephen Hahn said the agency is still working on CBD regulations and is considering safety concerns, including potential liver damage.
The Drug Enforcement Administration published the 2019 National Drug Threat Assessment.
The Drug Enforcement Administration and the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts said they will pursue the shipment of state-legal marijuana across state lines.
White House Counsellor Kellyanne Conway and Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Jim Carroll held a press conference to discuss efforts to reduce opioid overdoses.
The Federal Bureau of Investigation won’t allow Missouri regulators to access its national background check database for the purposes of screening medical cannabis business employees until there is a state law codifying the need for such checks.
The U.S. attorney for the western district of New York spoke about the “dangers of marijuana.”
Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) said he is “open to looking at proposals or ideas from the stakeholders and interested parties as to how we solve” issues related to marijuana banking legislation.
Alabama Republican Senate candidate Roy Moore said he is “not for marijuana” but that the federal government “should leave it to the states.”
/ STATES
Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) said she thinks lawmakers will “find consensus” on expanding the state’s limited medical cannabis program.
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) posted on Facebook, “I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: The cannabis industry in Colorado is thriving! We must continue to lead the way. We want Colorado to be the best state for reducing underage use and for investment, innovation, and development for this growing economic sector. I’m honored to be one of nine governors recognized with an ‘A’ in cannabis policy by NORML.”
Vermont’s attorney general spoke about the need to legalize marijuana sales.
Arkansas’s surgeon general and the state drug czar held a press conference to urge voters not to sign petitions for a proposed marijuana legalization ballot measure.
Kentucky’s agriculture commissioner called on the state’s congressional delegation to help pressure the Food and Drug Administration to issue CBD regulations. Separately, the Senate passed a hemp regulation bill. And the House adopted a resolution calling on federal agencies to accelerate marijuana research.
The Texas agriculture commissioner’s Hemp Advisory Council held its first meeting.
The Indiana House of Representatives approved a bill to allow police to issue a court summons instead of making an arrest for nonviolent misdemeanor crimes such as marijuana possession.
New York’s Assembly majority leader spoke about how some communities have been “under siege” by marijuana prohibition enforcement.
The South Dakota House Agriculture and Natural Resources Committee delayed a scheduled vote on a hemp bill.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is considering a case challenging a county’s policy banning people on probation from using medical cannabis.
The Kansas Highway Patrol is facing a federal lawsuit for allegedly unlawfully targeting drivers based on out-of-state license plates or Colorado travel plans, due to that state’s marijuana legalization law.
Missouri regulators issued a notice clarifying that patients have the right to possess medical cannabis even though no dispensaries are yet open. They also released an information guide for patients.
Oregon regulators published a marijuana program compliance education bulletin.
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/ LOCAL
A former Chicago, Illinois police superintendent is now a security consultant to a marijuana company.
Vail, Colorado officials launched a marijuana education campaign called “Let’s Be Blunt.”
/ INTERNATIONAL
Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison said he expects federal prohibition to be enforced despite a local marijuana legalization law going into effect this week. Separately, the Senate Community Affairs References Committee held a hearing on barriers to patient access to medical cannabis.
Thailand’s cabinet approved removing marijuana from the nation’s narcotics list.
Malaysia’s health minister said the government will decriminalize drugs by the end of its first term.
Philippine President Rodrigo Duterte ordered his cabinet members not to visit the U.S. after entry of the former national police chief was barred due to extrajudicial killings in the nation’s bloody “drug war.”
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study concluded that five years after Washington State’s marijuana legalization law was passed “the proportion of fatal-crash-involved drivers who were THC-positive has remained approximately double the level observed before I-502″ and that “an estimated 21% of all drivers involved in fatal crashes in Washington State in 2017 were THC-positive, higher than in any other year in the 10-year period examined.”
A study examined marijuana as a “de-stigmatizing product.”
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported that “in 2018, there were 67,367 drug overdose deaths in the United States, a 4.1% decline from 2017 (70,237 deaths).”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The National District Attorneys Association, Major County Sheriffs of America, Heritage Action, Smart Approaches to Marijuana and other organizations sent a letter urging Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) a letter urging him to slow down consideration of cannabis banking legislation.
The New York State Bar Association will vote on a report endorsing statewide legalization of marijuana on Friday.
/ BUSINESS
The CEO of MedMen Enterprises Inc. is stepping down and giving up his Class A super voting shares in the company.
BOL Pharma sent Israel’s first export of medical cannabis to the UK.
/ CULTURE
NFL Players Association representatives spoke about efforts to reform the league’s marijuana policy.
The Detroit City Football Club is partnering with marijuana company Pleasantrees, which will get naming rights to the team’s practice field.
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