Newsletter
Obama considered cannabis decrim, but then Trump won (Newsletter: Sep. 13, 2018)
Leaked video: Google execs told marijuana jokes to soften blow of Trump win; Groups slam cannabis bill’s drug conviction ban; IN Senate candidates on marijuana
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
A little-noticed passage in former White House aide Ben Rhodes’s book suggests President Obama might have decriminalized marijuana in late 2016 were it not for President Trump’s surprise Election Day win, though it’s not clear why the election result prevented cannabis reform moves.
Indiana’s U.S. Senate race is one of only a handful this year where the Republican candidate seems more supportive of marijuana law reform than the Democrat. Incumbent Sen. Joe Donnelly (D-IN) voted against protecting state medical cannabis laws from federal interference, but recently cosponsored a bill encouraging research on the therapeutic benefits of marijuana for military veterans. Republican Mike Braun has voiced support for letting states set their own medical marijuana policies.
The ACLU, Human Rights Watch, the Drug Policy Alliance and other organizations signed a letter slamming restrictive drug conviction language in a marijuana reform bill being voted in on Congress on Thursday:
- “We should be making it easier for people with records to obtain jobs, not more difficult.”
A leaked video shows that Google executives used marijuana jokes to lighten the mood after Trump’s 2016 victory:
- “I was asking if we could serve joints outside on the patio.” — Google co-founder Sergey Brin
/ FEDERAL
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions avoided specific mention of marijuana during a speech about drugs before the National Narcotic Officers’ Associations’ Coalition.
The Rocky Mountain High Intensity Drug Trafficking Area, a federal agency, released another report purporting to show the negative effects of marijuana legalization in Colorado.
Congresswoman Lisa Blunt Rochester (D-DE) and Congressman Rod Blum (R-IA) spoke about their bill to seal marijuana convictions.
Congresswoman Jacky Rosen (D-NV), a U.S. Senate candidate, tweeted, “It should come as no surprise that AG Sessions is leading the charge on spreading misinformation about marijuana legalization in states like NV. Congress must take action. I’m supporting a number of bipartisan plans to protect states’ rights and the will of Nevada voters.”
Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) tweeted, “Tomorrow my bill, the Medical Cannabis Research Act, will go before the House Judiciary Committee. This will be the first time a cannabis reform bill will make it through the Judiciary Committee during Republican control of the Congress, ever!”
/ STATES
Illinois Gov. Bruce Rauner (R) tweeted, “Ashley’s Law, signed this summer, makes it possible for students suffering from extremely painful illnesses or conditions to receive doctor prescribed medical marijuana treatment on school grounds.”
Connecticut gubernatorial candidates debated marijuana legalization.
North Dakota officials projected that the state’s marijuana legalization ballot measure would cost more than $6.6 million over the next few years to implement, but tax revenue estimates have not yet been formulated.
Massachusetts health regulators are being criticized for allegedly signaling that it was OK for a medical cannabis dispensary to use an organic pesticide and then later cracking down on it.
Oklahoma’s legalization of medical cannabis won’t change the Cherokee Nation’s prohibition on marijuana, tribe officials said. Separately, the legislature’s Medical Marijuana Working Group discussed cannabis testing.
Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday. Meanwhile, regulators added 71 more physicians to the list of those certified to recommend medical cannabis.
/ LOCAL
Manhattan’s district attorney appeared in court to move to dismiss 3,000 marijuana cases dating back to 1978.
/ INTERNATIONAL
The Canadian government said that the country’s medical cannabis system will continue for now, but a review will be conducted within five years of recreational legalization’s going into effect next month. Separately, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is pushing provinces to allow homegrown marijuana.
/ ADVOCACY
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said that Mormon doctors who recommend medical cannabis, and voters who support legalization, are not at risk of jeopardizing their standing with the church.
NORML chapters in key states are focusing on voter registration and education.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “approximately one in five patients with cancer who were receiving chemotherapy were using marijuana, and the frequency was equal in early- and advanced-stage cancer groups.”
The latest issue of the International Review of Psychiatry has a number of articles focused on marijuana research.
/ BUSINESS
Tobacco company Alliance One International Inc. is changing its name to Pyxus International Inc. and is investing in the marijuana industry.
Aurora Cannabis Inc. acquired Agropro UAB, Europe’s biggest producer, processor and supplier of hemp, as well as hemp processor and distributor Borela UAB, for $6.2 million.
The great-great-grandson of the founder of Anheuser Busch launched a marijuana company, ABV Cannabis Co., which is not affiliated with the beer maker.
Businessman Peter Thiel, who financed the lawsuit that put Gawker out of businesses, implied that the site’s former editor smoked marijuana during a lunch break on a key day of testimony in the case.
The Wall Street Journal looks at the rise of CBD products.
The ABA Banking Journal published an overview of the marijuana industry’s financial services access issues.
MassRoots relocated its headquarters from Denver, Colorado to Los Angeles, California. (Disclosure: Marijuana Moment’s publisher is a former employee of and minority shareholder in the company.)
/ CULTURE
Musician Paul McCartney recounted a story about when he smoked marijuana with Fela Kuti.
Ricki Lake’s marijuana documentary “Weed the People” got a distribution deal.
Drug cartel leader Pablo Escobar’s cousin criticized people who consume marijuana.
A Canadian marijuana dispensary employee fended off three would-be robbers by swinging a large bong at them.
Marijuana.com takes a look at the Stoned Gamer League.
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Photo courtesy of Philip Steffan.
