Newsletter
Oregon psilocybin ballot measure language approved (Newsletter: Nov. 28, 2018)
Study: Lower opioid deaths in counties with dispensaries; MA sold $2.2 million in marijuana in first 5 days; USVI medical cannabis hearing
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Oregon’s attorney general certified ballot language for a measure to legalize therapeutic use of psilocybin.
A study found that counties with marijuana dispensaries see lower local opioid overdose death rates.
/ FEDERAL
Nearly a quarter of U.S. senators are now signed on as cosponsors of criminal justice reform legislation.
The Library of Congress published an overview of Canada’s marijuana legalization law.
/ STATES
New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) said he hasn’t yet read the marijuana legalization bill approved by legislative committees this week.
Pennsylvania Gov. Tom Wolf (D) reiterated that he supports decriminalizing marijuana.
Michigan regulators said they won’t take action against unlicensed medical cannabis dispensaries before December 31. Separately, the legislature’s Joint Committee on Administrative Rules approved permanent medical marijuana licensing regulations which allow home delivery.
Washington State’s attorney general issued an opinion saying that local boards that oversee police and firefighter disability programs can approve payments for medical cannabis, although they don’t have to.
Florida’s incoming agriculture commissioner said she plans to release guidance on medical cannabis edibles.
The U.S. VIrgin Islands Senate Committee on Economic Development and Agriculture held a hearing on a medical cannabis bill.
Georgia’s House Study Committee on Industrial Hemp held a meeting.
No lawmakers showed up to the first scheduled meeting of the North Carolina General Assembly’s Cannabis Caucus. One representative is considering introducing a bill that would allow counties to decide whether to allow medical cannabis.
An Oklahoma regulatory spokesperson said the large number of medical cannabis license applications received to date is within range of officials’ expectations.
Alaska regulators will hold a public hearing and meetings from December 19-21 to consider on-site marijuana consumption and other cannabis issues.
Here’s a look at the prospects for Wisconsin marijuana law reform.
CNN examines the slow rollout of Louisiana’s medical cannabis program.
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/ LOCAL
The Eau Claire, Wisconsin City Council approved a proposal to lower the fines for marijuana possession to $1.
San Antonio, Texas’s police chief said he is ready start a “cite and release” program that will allow people to avoid arrest for possessing small amounts of marijuana.
A Chicago, Illinois treasurer candidate wants to create a public bank to serve the marijuana industry.
Boston, Massachuestts’s mayor reiterated concerns about the “human toll” of marijuana legalization.
Two Missoula, Montana medical cannabis dispensaries were burglarized on Thanksgiving.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Mexican regulators are expected to approve marijuana-infused food supplements and beverages on Friday.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “higher aerobic fitness level moderated the impact of [cannabis] on visual memory, executive function and psychomotor speed, as more aerobically fit [cannabis] users demonstrated better performance relative to low-fit users.”
/ OPINION & ANALYSIS
An Indianapolis Star editorial cartoonist seems to think that medical cannabis is “snake oil.”
/ BUSINESS
Aurora Cannabis Inc. will begin exporting medical cannabis products to the Czech Republic.
Massachusetts’s two recreational marijuana retailers sold more than $2.2 million worth of products in their first five days.
Socially responsible investment funds aren’t sure whether they should treat marijuana as a medicine or a vice.
Medicinal Genomics is using blockchain technology to try to safeguard marijuana strains from improper patent claims.
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