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NY cannabis ban deadline passes (Newsletter: January 3, 2022)

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Indiana marijuana bills filed; Governors tout 2021 cannabis accomplishments; Study: Decrim reduces racial disparities in arrests

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

Indiana lawmakers pre-filed bills for the 2022 session that would legalize marijuana possession, create an infrastructure for how to eventually regulate cannabis sales and set rules for “craft hemp flower.”

Three governors who signed marijuana legalization bills into law in 2021 touted their cannabis accomplishments in year-end Twitter threads.

Hundreds of New York cities, towns and villages are set to allow marijuana retailers and on-site consumption areas to operate with the passage of the December 31 local ban deadline—but hundreds more are blocking cannabis businesses for now.

A new study found that decriminalizing marijuana not only leads to a drop in cannabis arrests overall but that “among adults, decriminalization was associated with a roughly 17 percent decrease in racial disparity” in remaining enforcement.

/ FEDERAL

A post on former President Donald Trump’s website criticizes President Joe Biden for nominating a U.S. attorney who declined to prosecute certain drug cases as district attorney.

Former Rep. Scott Taylor (R-VA) tweeted about reading a book on psychedelics.

Florida Democratic Senate candidate Allen Ellison tweeted, “I believe that we should decriminalize marijuana use at the federal level. Tax the sale of it & pay for higher education. We can sustainably pay for Americans to get a 2 or 4 year degree without them having to go broke or get into debt just to get an education.”

Kentucky Democratic congressional candidate William Compton tweeted, “Let’s legalize recreational use nationwide! Kentucky is estimated to bring in over $83 million in taxes alone from Marijuana. That money could be used in so many ways to help our state.”

/ STATES

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) reduced the sentence of a man convicted of drug crimes.

A Delaware representative said he has spent the last few months tweaking his marijuana legalization bill in an attempt to get enough votes to pass it in 2022.

A Mississippi representative said he thinks lawmakers have the votes to override a possible medical cannabis veto from Gov. Tate Reeves (R).

A Texas representative said he thinks lawmakers should focus on expanding the medical cannabis program to allow more research.

Montana recreational marijuana sales began, and the state’s top cannabis regulator spoke about preparations for the launch.

Oklahoma activists say they’re on track with proposed marijuana legalization and medical cannabis reform ballot measures ahead of a Thursday Supreme Court hearing on a challenge from another activist.

Maryland regulators issued a temporary exemption to the requirement that dispensaries track and verify medical cannabis purchase amounts.

California regulators are accepting requests for marijuana equity business fee waivers.

Colorado regulators published updated demographic data on marijuana business licensees.

Connecticut regulators issued updated statistics about the medical cannabis program.

Missouri regulators tweeted about the rapid implementation and growth of the medical cannabis program.

The Louisiana legislature’s Industrial Hemp Advisory Committee will meet on Tuesday.

Kansas’s Industrial Hemp Advisory board will meet on Tuesday.


Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 800 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.

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

/ LOCAL

New York City’s outgoing mayor said he hasn’t smoked marijuana since it became legal.

Killeen, Texas activists are seeking to qualify a local marijuana decriminalization ballot measure.

/ INTERNATIONAL

Irish marijuana possession prosecutions have fallen by nearly half over the past year.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A review concluded that results “support the use of medical marijuana as a viable medical treatment and companies should recognize and support this medical remedy,”  “employees should be protected in their use of marijuana under the FMLA” and that “employees see marijuana in a positive light, as a viable medical treatment, and expect human resource management to support policies that allow for use of marijuana.”

A review concluded that “no compelling evidence was found to recommend the use of cannabis in [Parkinson’s disease] patients” but that “a potential benefit was identified with respect to alleviation of PD related tremor, anxiety, pain, improvement of sleep quality and quality of life.”

/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS

The Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee tweeted, “What did state Dems do in 2021?… 🌿Legalize marijuana…”

The Pennsylvania Democratic Party tweeted, “Harrisburg Republicans are blocking Democratic cannabis reform bills, and they’ll keep doing so until we flip the state legislature.”

The Indiana Democratic Party tweeted, “Hoosiers want it and the facts back it up. It’s time to legalize cannabis across Indiana. @INDems came out for this important cause in 2021 and we look forward to hitting the campaign trail on this issue in 2022.”

The American Psychiatric Association tweeted about its opposition to marijuana use by young people.

/ BUSINESS

The New York Times looked skeptically at Wana Brands’s claims about a cannabis-infused gummy product that’s marketed to help with healthier eating patterns.

/ CULTURE

Kim Kardashian tweeted, “Gov Jared Polis @govofco also announced that he has granted 3 commutations, 15 individual pardons & has signed an Executive Order granting 1,351 pardons for convictions of possession of 2ounces or less of marijuana. Marijuana is legal in Colorado, it’s the right thing to do! 👏🏼”

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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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