Connect with us

Newsletter

Schumer talks cannabis floor vote (Newsletter: May 9, 2023)

Published

on

CBP: Say no to CBD; VT psychedelics hearing; ME marijuana interstate sales bill defeated; Fed medical cannabis case anniversary; MO sales

Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day.

Get our daily newsletter.

Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible…

Hold on, just one second before you read today’s news. Have you thought about giving some financial support to Marijuana Moment? If so, today would be a great day to contribute. We’re planning our reporting for the coming months and it would really help to know what kind of support we can count on.

Check us out on Patreon and sign up to give $25/month today:
https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment

/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) spoke at a cannabis rally, pledging to put a marijuana banking bill up for a floor vote—along with expungements and “social justice” provisions attached.

Customs and Border Protection is warning its agents—and their family members—to just “Say No to CBD.”

The Vermont House Judiciary Committee held a hearing on a bill to legalize psilocybin and create a Psychedelic Therapy Advisory Working Group to study regulated access—with the chairman saying lawmakers could vote to pass it early next year.

The Maine legislature’s Veterans and Legal Affairs Committee rejected a bill that would have allowed interstate marijuana commerce, though the chair seemed to suggest the issue is “not off of the radar” and could advance later.

Monday was the 45th anniversary of Robert Randall’s legal settlement that established a federal program to produce and distribute medical cannabis to a handful of patients. His widow Alice O’Leary Randall is launching a newly digitized Factual Record from the legal case.

The Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services reported that retailers have sold $350 million worth of legal marijuana products since recreational sales launched three months ago—with the state on pace to exceed more than $1 billion in combined medical and adult-use sales this year.

/ FEDERAL

The Office of the Pardon Attorney is accepting public comments about the application form for people to receive certificates showing they have been presidentially pardoned for federal marijuana possession offenses.

The National Institute of Justice will host an event on the “lethal consequences for CBD containing products” on May 18.

Sen. Jon Tester’s (D-MT) office defended the process by which it wrote a hemp reform bill in collaboration with industry stakeholders.

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) tweeted, “Forcing legal cannabis businesses to operate in cash puts people’s lives at risk and makes our communities less safe. The #SAFEBanking Act will finally bring legal cannabis businesses into the formal banking system where they belong.”

Reps. David Trone (D-MD) and Harold Rogers (R-KY) filed a bill to require federal officials to launch a public awareness campaign about the dangers of marijuana and other drugs being contaminated with fentanyl.

/ STATES

Arkansas Gov. Sarah Huckabee Sanders (R) held a signing ceremony for a bill to ban delta-8 THC products.

Here’s a look at where Kentucky agriculture commissioner candidates stand on cannabis.

New Hampshire’s House majority leader suggested that his chamber could hold up Senate bills in retaliation for that chamber potentially blocking marijuana legalization.

Wisconsin’s Senate minority leader tweeted, “Wisconsin is falling behind as our constituents are clamoring for us to address the many harms of prohibition. The gop legislators inaction is making our state less safe, less prosperous, and less free. #LegalizeIt 🌱”

Colorado lawmakers reached a compromise on legislation concerning cannabinoid products. Separately, the House Judiciary Committee rejected a bill that would have increased penalties for people who sell drugs that are linked to overdose deaths.

The principal chief of the Eastern Band of Cherokee Indians, located in North Carolina, vetoed $64 million in funding to open a medical cannabis dispensary.

Maryland’s top marijuana regulator spoke about efforts to implement a new law regulating adult-use sales.

A New York regulator said officials are preparing to  offer additional support for marijuana business license applicants, including a potential pathway to licensure for people who complete a compliance mentorship program.


Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,000 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

The Spokane, Washington City Council is considering a proposed local drug possession ordinance.

/ INTERNATIONAL

Uganda’s Constitutional Court overturned the country’s ban on cannabis and khat.

Additional details about the German government’s draft bill for the first part of its marijuana legalization plan are emerging.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A review concluded that “a number of preclinical and clinical studies suggest promise for CBD in restoring the normal sleep–wake cycle and in enhancing sleep quality in patients diagnosed with” alcohol use disorder.

A study of rats concluded that “CBD can be considered as a therapeutic agent for periodontitis.”

/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS

An analysis from Whitney Economics concluded that cannabis companies paid over $1.8 billion in additional taxes when compared to ordinary businesses.

/ BUSINESS

MedMen Enterprises Inc. said the filing of its latest quarterly report will be delayed.

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Federal Circuit ruled that law firm Cooley and its client United Cannabis Corporation don’t have to pay legal fees in a patent lawsuit over CBD extraction technology.

Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.

Get our daily newsletter.

Marijuana Moment is made possible with support from readers. If you rely on our cannabis advocacy journalism to stay informed, please consider a monthly Patreon pledge.
Become a patron at Patreon!

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.

Advertisement

Marijuana News In Your Inbox

Get our daily newsletter.

Support Marijuana Moment

Marijuana News In Your Inbox

 

Get our daily newsletter.