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New Jersey legal cannabis moves toward 2020 ballot (Newsletter: December 13, 2019)

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Senators press DEA on marijuana growing; MLB removes cannabis from banned list; Trinidad & Tobago decrim approved; Kansas legalization poll

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

A group of eight U.S. senators, led by presidential candidate Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) sent a letter demanding that the Drug Enforcement Administration provide an update on plans to award more licenses to grow marijuana for research. The lawmakers also want to know if the federal government intends to reschedule cannabis or to study it as an opioid alternative.

New Jersey lawmakers took the first steps toward putting a marijuana legalization referendum on the 2020 ballot with committee hearings in the Senate and Assembly. Floor votes are scheduled for Monday. Meanwhile, expungements legislation also advanced.

Trinidad and Tobago’s House of Representatives approved a bill to decriminalize marijuana, with separate broader legislation to legalize and regulate production and sales being considered in a committee.

Major League Baseball formally announced it is removing marijuana from the list of banned substances for players.

  • “Going forward, marijuana-related conduct will be treated the same as alcohol-related conduct.

A poll found that Kansas residents support legalizing marijuana, 63%-26%.

/ FEDERAL

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a presidential candidate, tweeted, “We are not only going to legalize marijuana; we are going to expunge past convictions for marijuana possession. Thank you to @KimFoxxforSA for leading the way on this important issue.”

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang announced that his campaign is selling marijuana and math hats again.

Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL) said he supports decriminalizing marijuana but that he has concerns about measuring impairment and the accessibility of cannabis products to children.

Rep. Hank Johnson (D-GA) subtly called out Rep. Matt Gaetz’s (R-FL) prior DUI arrest after the GOP lawmaker spent time during a House Judiciary Committee impeachment hearing reading excerpts from a magazine story about Hunter Biden’s struggles with substance use.

The House resolution calling to decriminalize addiction and legalize marijuana and overdose prevention sites got three new cosponsors for a total of three.

/ STATES

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) spoke about ongoing efforts to regulate marijuana, saying, “There wasn’t an adequate infrastructure put in place in the rush to get the tax revenue and now we’re having to pick up the pieces.”

Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) tweeted, “The U.S. prison system has historically been unfair to people of color. We’re expediting pardons for small marijuana offenses, but there’s still more to do.”

Virginia’s attorney general tweeted, “Yesterday was a huge step toward a smarter, fairer, more just cannabis policy in Virginia. I’m even more confident that we’re going to see reform THIS YEAR.”

Massachusetts regulators amended a vaping quarantine order to allow the sale of devices to vaporize marijuana flower, devices designed to vaporize concentrates that don’t contain usable cannabis and newly manufactured products that pass screens for vitamin E acetate as well as other contaminants.

Ohio regulators proposed amendments to medical cannabis rules, including concerning changes in dispensary ownership. They are also considering petitions to add new qualifying conditions and released updated patient and caregiver numbers.

Illinois regulators sent a bulletin on how municipal and county governments can enact marijuana taxes. They also announced the tiebreaking process for cannabis dispensary license awarding.

A Kentucky representative prefiled a marijuana legalization bill.

California’s Cannabis Advisory Committee released a draft of its 2019 annual report.

Maine regulators have so far received 76 applications for marijuana business licenses.


Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,000 cannabis 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.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.

/ LOCAL

Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s district attorney said, “Marijuana is not as harmful to the human mind as watching Donald Trump on television on a daily basis.”

/ INTERNATIONAL

The European Union Intellectual Property Office rejected a trademark application for a sign depicting marijuana.

Saskatoon, Canada police reported that marijuana legalization caused “fewer issues than were expected.” Meanwhile, Ontario officials removed the cap on the number of cannabis stores and loosened other requirements.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A review concluded that “newly available evidence supports earlier findings that cannabidiol probably reduces the frequency of seizures among children with drug-resistant epilepsy.”

A study concluded that “surfaces exposed to side-stream cannabis vapor are positive for THC at quantifiable levels.”

A qualitative study of YouTube videos concluded that “microdosing of psychedelic substances, primarily LSD and psilocybin, was used for therapeutic and enhancement purposes, and predominantly beneficial effects were reported.”

/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS

The Libertarian Party of South Dakota launched a “Hemp: We’re On It” website that parodies a recent state anti-meth campaign and hits Gov. Kristi Noem (R) for her opposition to hemp.

/ BUSINESS

Anheuser-Busch InBev NV’s Labatt Breweries and Tilray Inc.’s High Park Co. are teaming up to sell CBD-infused teas in Canada.

Canopy Growth Corp. and Go Farm Hemp dropped lawsuits filed against one another.

/ CULTURE

South Park aired a marijuana- and cocaine-themed Christmas episode.

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Tom Angell is the editor of Marijuana Moment. A 20-year veteran in the cannabis law reform movement, he covers the policy and politics of marijuana. Separately, he founded the nonprofit Marijuana Majority. Previously he reported for Marijuana.com and MassRoots, and handled media relations and campaigns for Law Enforcement Against Prohibition and Students for Sensible Drug Policy.

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