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New German cannabis legalization details (Newsletter: April 13, 2023)
WA interstate marijuana commerce vote; Presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson on cannabis; HI psychedelics; TX medical expansion; SC poll; MI sales
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Germany’s ministers of health and food and agriculture announced the details of a revised marijuana legalization plan.
The Washington State House of Representatives passed a bill to allow interstate marijuana commerce. The measure needs one more vote in the Senate to sign off on a technical amendment and it will head to Gov. Jay Inslee’s (D) desk.
Marijuana Moment compiled a comprehensive look at where Republican presidential candidate Asa Hutchinson stands on cannabis. As head of the Drug Enforcement Administration he oversaw raids on medical marijuana caregivers and as Arkansas governor he campaigned against legalization.
The Texas House of Representatives passed a bill to allow doctors to recommend medical cannabis as an opioid alternative for chronic pain while also replacing the current THC potency cap. It now heads to the Senate.
The Hawaii Senate passed a bill to create a Breakthrough Therapy Designation Advisory Council that would study the benefits of psychedelics like psilocybin and MDMA. It now heads back to the House for concurrence on recent amendments.
A new poll shows that South Carolina adults support legalizing marijuana for both recreational and medical use. Rep. Nancy Mace (R-SC), who has filed legalization legislation in Congress, celebrated the result.
The Michigan Cannabis Regulatory Agency reported that retailers in the state sold $249.7 million worth of legal marijuana products in March—a new monthly record.
The Florida House Agriculture & Natural Resources Appropriations Subcommittee approved a hemp product regulation bill that advocates say is seriously flawed.
/ FEDERAL
The Drug Enforcement Administration is proposing a new rule on cannabimimetic agents.
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Rahul Gupta designated fentanyl adulterated with xylazine as an “emerging threat.”
A Transportation Security Administration spokesperson said that the agency is “more concerned about terrorism and security threats to aircraft and passengers” than finding marijuana during searches.
/ STATES
Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs (D) vetoed a bill to increase penalties for possessing fentanyl and other drugs.
Pennsylvania senators removed themselves as cosponsors of a bill to allow medical cannabis edibles amid concerns that it could harm manufacturers of hemp-derived products.
Illinois officials have only succeeded in completely clearing public records of a fraction of the nearly half a million marijuana arrests that were supposed to be expunged automatically.
The Maryland Legal Services Corporation awarded $2.5 million in state funding to support cannabis expungements services.
Connecticut regulators’ decision to rescind marijuana dispensary licenses by retroactively applying a rules amendment is being challenged in court.
The Louisiana Legislative Auditor published a report on the Department of Health’s oversight of consumable hemp products.
Michigan regulators published a monthly report about disciplinary actions taken against marijuana businesses.
Oklahoma regulators posted an updated list of doctors that have indicated they are willing to recommend medical cannabis.
The Colorado Natural Medicine Advisory Board will hold its first meeting on Thursday.
Utah’s Medical Cannabis Establishment Licensing Board will meet on Thursday.
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Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,000 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
Denton, Texas City Council candidates are being asked by advocates to sign a pledge to uphold the city’s voter-approved marijuana decriminalization law.
A New York City City Council member coauthored an op-ed about the harms of widespread unregulated marijuana retailers.
/ INTERNATIONAL
The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor is asking the appeals chamber to reject the Philippine government’s request to halt a probe into the country’s bloody “war on drugs.”
Mexico’s sanitary operation commissioner said officials are moving to revoke cannabis permits from several companies, some of which are linked to former President Vicente Fox, that were allegedly awarded via improperly enacted rules.
The German Federal Court of Justice upheld a prison sentence for a doctor who was convicted of excessively prescribing medical cannabis.
A Guernsey lawmaker suggested that the UK could withhold royal assent on a cannabis legalization proposal if it is locally approved.
Argentina’s minister of science, technology and innovation tweeted that a new cannabis law “will allow the development of the industrialization of Hemp…and employ a large number of Argentines.”
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study identified “cannabis terpenes as potential therapeutics for chronic neuropathic pain.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
A Reason Foundation analysis concluded that current state cannabis social equity programs “fail to target relief to the affected populations and create new barriers for legacy suppliers of marijuana products to gain legitimacy on a legal market.”
Americans for Tax Reform President Grover Norquist tweeted, “Why do our liberal friends screw up the legalization of Cannabis by piling high taxes on the product. If you have to have a ‘tax holiday’ the tax is too high now.”
The National Association of Insurance Commissioners’ Cannabis Insurance Working Group issued a draft white paper on marijuana issues for the insurance industry.
/ BUSINESS
Smoakland acknowledged that a loophole it was beta-testing to let customers use credit cards by technically purchasing cryptocurrency that would then be used in a separate step to pay for marijuana “could potentially be seen as bank fraud” and announced that its processing partner “terminated our relationship.”
Uber Technologies Inc. and Leafly Holdings Inc. officials discussed their cannabis delivery partnership in Canada.
Colorado retailers sold $124.9 million worth of legal marijuana products in February.
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