Newsletter
New York Dems endorse legalizing cannabis (Newsletter: May 24, 2018)
Cannabiz owners rally on Capitol Hill; Marijuana Justice Act gets more support; 7-Eleven CBD confusion
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The Democratic Party of New York officially endorsed legalizing marijuana.
More than 200 marijuana business owners affiliated with the National Cannabis Industry Association are converging on Capitol Hill this week to lobby for key marijuana bills. They held a press conference with a bipartisan group of lawmakers.
U.S. Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) became the latest cosponsor of the Marijuana Justice Act.
/ FEDERAL
The U.S. Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau ordered a San Francisco brewery to stop making CBD-infused beer until it can get approval to include the non-standard ingredient. The agency also posted information about the issue on its website.
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration data shows that federal seizures of marijuana plants dropped nearly 40% between 2016 and 2017.
A study found that federal judges appointed by Republican presidents give African-American defendants sentences that are an average of six to seven months longer than sentences given to white defendants, a disparity that is about twice as large as the one for judges appointed by Democrats.
Congressman Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) spoke about the medical value of cannabis for military veterans during a House hearing.
Congresswoman Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) tweeted, “Our outdated marijuana policies have turned everyday Americans into criminals, torn apart families, and wasted huge amounts of taxpayer dollars to arrest, prosecute, and incarcerate people for non-violent marijuana charges.”
Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA) tweeted, “The ‘war on drugs’ has been a war on people of color across this country.”
The U.S. Senate hemp legalization bill got two new cosponsors, for a total of 23.
The U.S. House industrial hemp bill got two new cosponsors, for a total of 45.
A separate U.S. House hemp legalization bill got five new cosponsors, for a total of six.
/ STATES
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled that a state law banning medical cannabis on college campuses violates the state Constitution.
The Illinois House of Representatives passed a hemp bill.
Michigan Republican legislative leaders are still considering amending and enacting a marijuana legalization proposal in order to keep it off the ballot.
New Jersey lawmakers want to revise how marijuana tax revenue would be incorporated into the state budget.
Colorado Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jared Polis, currently a congressman, accepted the endorsement of the NORML PAC.
Florida Democratic gubernatorial candidate Chris King tweeted, “Florida spends $2.3 billion dollars per year on incarceration. That’s more than we spend on higher education. Let’s reduce harsh sentencing for nonviolent offenders, provide more diversion programs, legalize marijuana, and turn this around.”
Opponents of Utah’s medical cannabis ballot measure and the state’s lieutenant governor do not object to the initiative’s drafters intervening in a lawsuit concerning its legality.
Texas regulators backed off proposed rules that could’ve pulled CBD products out of stores.
New York senators filed a bill adding opioid use as a medical cannabis qualifying condition.
/ LOCAL
The district attorney in Queens has no plans to stop prosecuting people who smoke marijuana in public.
/ INTERNATIONAL
New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern isn’t ready to commit to legalizing marijuana, even if the public approves it in a referendum.
/ ADVOCACY
Conservative commentator Bill O’Reilly tweeted, “The collapse of common sense in America is epitomized by New York City mayor Bill de Blasio. The unrestrained leftist has now ordered the NYPD to allow people to openly smoke marijuana in public and the consequences be damned.” He also posted a video of himself criticizing the move.
Conservative casino billionaire prohibitionist Sheldon Adelson is supporting the primary opponent of Clark County, Nevada commissioner candidate Tick Segerblom, who has championed marijuana law reform as a state senator.
/ BUSINESS
7-Eleven stores will begin carrying CBD products from Phoenix Tears, that company claimed. But the convenience store chain pushed back against news of the reported deal.
Canopy Growth Corporation will begin trading on the New York Stock Exchange on Thursday.
Greenspoon Marder acquired marijuana lobbying firm The Liaison Group.
Nevada retailers sold more than $41 million worth of recreational marijuana in March, a new monthly record.
/ CULTURE
A survey found that cannabis consumers found that 72% say too many TV shows portray marijuana users as “stereotypical silly and forgetful stoners.”
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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
