Newsletter
MN legal cannabis sales launch on Indian reservation (Newsletter: August 2, 2023)
White House official on Biden marijuana plan; AR cannabis & gun rights law; US territory votes to end pre-employment marijuana tests
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Rahul Gupta testified at a congressional hearing that President Joe Biden’s marijuana pardons and scheduling directive are part of an effort to create cohesive cannabis policy within a patchwork of state legalization models.
Minnesota’s law legalizing possession, use and cultivation of marijuana for adults over 21 took effect. And the process for expunging prior cannabis records is also now underway.
While it will take Minnesota regulators several months to begin general cannabis business licensing, the Red Lake Nation launched the first recreational marijuana sales in the state on Tuesday—and a second Indian tribe is also expected to begin selling cannabis to adults soon.
In addition to marijuana becoming legal in Minnesota, a separate new harm reduction law also took effect in the state to legalize possession of drug paraphernalia as well as syringe services, controlled substances residue and testing.
A new Arkansas law to clarify that medical cannabis patients can obtain concealed carry licenses for firearms took effect on Tuesday.
The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands House of Representatives passed a bill to remove marijuana from pre-employment drug testing for government job applicants in the U.S. territory, with some exceptions.
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) signed a supervised release bill to help people incarcerated under the war on drugs reenter society—including by limiting “unnecessary drug testing.”
/ FEDERAL
Sen. Tina Smith (D-MN) tweeted, “Cannabis is legal in Minnesota starting today and minor offenses are being expunged from people’s records. Let’s take this nationwide.”
Rep. Jack Bergman (R-MI) authored an op-ed about forthcoming legislation he is introducing to regulate, rather than ban, kratom.
/ STATES
Colorado Gov. Jared Polis (D) appointed members to the Institute of Cannabis Research Governing Board and the Natural Medicine Advisory Board.
Wisconsin’s Senate minority leader tweeted, “Minnesota now joins more than 20 other states who have done away with their inequitable policies of prohibition & legalized #cannabis for the betterment of their state & constituents.”
The chairman of the Alabama Medical Cannabis Commission is vowing to stay on despite a lawsuit claiming that his appointment to the body was illegal.
Minnesota regulators began accepting registrations for businesses selling hemp-derived cannabinoid products.
A top New York marijuana regulator spoke about the continued rollout of the state’s legal market.
An Idaho activist discussed an ongoing campaign to collect signatures to put a medical cannabis legalization initiative on the 2024 ballot.
There are conflicting reports about when Oregon’s first legal psilocybin services session took place.
The North Dakota Highway Patrol sent a warning that it will continue enforcing marijuana criminalization despite legalization in neighboring Minnesota.
The Washington State Administrative Office of the Courts sent a press release about the launch of an online portal where people can apply to have costs related to unconstitutional drug prosecutions reimbursed.
Georgia regulators will consider medical cannabis business issues on Wednesday.
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/ LOCAL
Seattle, Washington’s mayor is proposing a revised plan to deal with public drug use.
Denver, Colorado officials are cracking down on unlicensed social marijuana consumption events and venues.
Detroit, Michigan officials began accepting applications for a second round of recreational marijuana business licenses.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “Canada’s cannabis legalization was successful in reducing cannabis-related criminalization among adults” and that “there was also a lack of evidence for spillover effects of cannabis legalization on adult property or violent crimes.”
A review concluded that “current observational data do not support a link between cannabis use and poor patient survival post-[liver] transplantation.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
Students for Sensible Drug Policy’s executive director is stepping down to take a position at The Last Prisoner Project.
Federal marijuana advocacy lobbying expenditures have reportedly decreased by more than 50 percent since 2019.
/ BUSINESS
TerrAscend Corp. preliminarily reported quarterly net revenue of $72.1 million.
ETF Managers Group and its former CEO agreed to pay a combined $4.4 million fine to settle Securities and Exchange Commission charges that they failed to disclose conflicts of interest relating to a cannabis ETF when raising $20 million in funding.
MariMed, Inc. is suing The Harvest Foundation LLC over claims it lost cannabis cultivation licenses before an acquisition deal was finalized.
Columbia Care Inc. is moving to voluntarily delist from the facilities of the Canadian Securities Exchange as of Wednesday.
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