Newsletter
ND cannabis initiative qualifies for ballot (Newsletter: August 16, 2022)
SAFE Banking equity amendments suggested; Poll: TX voters back legal marijuana; NY cannabis processors approved; NJ sales
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
North Dakota’s secretary of state certified that activists collected enough signatures to place a marijuana legalization initiative on the November ballot.
With efforts heating up in Congress to craft an omnibus marijuana reform package that could pass by the end of the year, the Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition is offering up 10 SAFE Banking Act amendments that they say can help center equity in the financial services reform.
A new poll found that a majority of Texas voters support legalizing marijuana for both medical and recreational use.
New York’s Cannabis Control Board approved the first recreational marijuana processors, authorized additional cultivators and signed off on rules for laboratory testing and sampling.
New Jersey’s Cannabis Regulatory Commission reported that retailers sold nearly $80 million worth of recreational marijuana in the first ten weeks since sales launched the day after 4/20.
/ FEDERAL
The Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is proposing to add a recommendation to providers to “assess patient’s usage of cannabis/cannabidiol/etc., as use of these drugs can affect the metabolization of other medications but is often not included in the medical record.”
The Drug Enforcement Administration’s museum posted a video about an opium pillow it has in its collection.
Kentucky Democratic Senate candidate Charles Booker tweeted, “Republicans, Democrats, and Independents support the legalization of Cannabis. When I am elected to the Senate, I’m going to fight to make that happen.”
/ STATES
Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Nikki Fried, currently the agriculture commissioner, accused rival Democratic contender Charlie Crist, currently a congressman, of “passing mandatory minimums during the racist war on drugs” in a TV ad. She also tweeted, “The private prison industry funded @CharlieCrist’s inauguration. His first and last.”
The Massachusetts Senate referred to a committee Gov. Charlie Baker’s (R) veto of a section of marijuana legislation that would have directed state officials to study student access to medical cannabis at schools.
A California senator tweeted, “Psychedelics have such immense promise to make people healthier, including helping people stop using heroin & other drugs. Our legislation to decriminalize their use & possession was just gutted. But we’ll be back next year to try again.”
Mississippi regulators filed rules on the appeals process for medical cannabis dispensaries.
Maine regulators formed a marijuana inventory tracking workgroup.
The Oregon Task Force on Cannabis-Derived Intoxicants and Illegal Cannabis Production’s Cannabinoid Subcommittee will meet on Wednesday.
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/ LOCAL
A judge extended a temporary restraining order preventing Detroit, Michigan officials from accepting recreational marijuana business license applications.
A New York City councilwoman filmed herself confronting a man at a “known squatter house” who was smoking marijuana.
The Denver, Colorado City Council’s Business, Arts, Workforce, and Aviation Services will hold a hearing on a bill to exclusively allow social equity businesses to have marijuana delivery licenses on August 31.
/ INTERNATIONAL
The head of Scotland’s Drug Deaths Taskforce said “you can’t punish people out of addiction,” rejecting a punitive approach to drug policy.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “CBD attenuated early symptoms of [chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy] with no major safety concerns.”
A study of psychedelic use among Indigenous peoples of the U.S. and Canada found that “participants recalled experiencing fewer symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress, trauma, symptoms of discrimination, and alcohol use in the 30 days after (vs. before) the psychedelic experience.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Arkansas Democratic Party adopted platform planks supporting marijuana legalization and expungement of past records.
The Kentucky Democratic Party tweeted, “Republicans will continue to block medical cannabis. Democrats will legalize it. Kentucky has a clear choice in November.”
/ BUSINESS
Dr. Bronner’s reported that it donated $4.4 million to drug policy reform efforts in 2021.
Weedmaps cut 10 percent of its workforce.
Columbia Care Inc. reported quarterly revenue of $129.6 million and a net loss of $54.3 million.
Ascend Wellness Holdings, Inc. reported quarterly net revenue of $97.5 million and a net loss of $21.2 million.
TILT Holdings Inc. reported quarterly net revenue of $47.1 million and a net loss of $7.1 million.
4Front Ventures Corp. reported $28.4 million in quarterly revenue and a net loss of $6.5 million.
Auxly Cannabis Group Inc. reported CC$27.3 million in quarterly net revenue and a net loss of C$14.3 million.
Awakn Life Sciences Corp. signed a ketamine-assisted therapy licensing partnership agreement with Revitalist Lifestyle and Wellness Ltd.
/ CULTURE
Lawyers for American basketball player Brittney Griner filed an appeal of her Russian conviction for possessing cannabis vapes.
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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
