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SD cops sue to overturn cannabis ballot measure (Newsletter: November 24, 2020)

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Feds: Fewer banks work with marijuana businesses; VA gov: State can be cannabis “leader” in South; IL uses legalization revenue to expunge records

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

A South Dakota sheriff and police colonel have filed a lawsuit—paid for in part with state funds—asking a court to overturn the state’s voter-approved marijuana legalization ballot measure.

New data from the Treasury Department’s Financial Crimes Enforcement Network shows that the number of banks reporting working with marijuana industry clients continues to drop—for the third quarter in a row. But part of that is due to no longer having to track hemp accounts, and the coronavirus pandemic has shuttered some cannabis businesses, the agency said.

Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam (D) said his state will be a “leader” on marijuana legalization in the South. He also spoke about whether cannabis home cultivation should be allowed under the bill he intends to pass in 2021.

  • “You could make the argument or the point that we’re able to brew beer in our home, why not grow marijuana? I’ve heard that. I understand that.”

The state of Illinois is using cannabis tax revenue to fund a new program called New Leaf that helps people expunge their prior marijuana records.

/ FEDERAL

The U.S. Department of Agriculture published a report on Japanese import regulations for hemp products.

Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich tweeted, “Here are 7 things Biden can do by executive order on Day One:… Ease cannabis restrictions”

/ STATES

North Carolina’s attorney general tweeted, “Research shows that Black and white populations in NC smoke marijuana at about the same rates, but Black populations are disproportionately charged and convicted of marijuana possession. The Task Force has adopted recommendations to help find a solution.”

A California judge overturned a regulation allowing marijuana billboards along highways. Separately, a recent ruling by another judge upholding state regulations on cannabis delivery services might not be as big of a win for the industry as was originally reported.

Georgia’s Access to Medical Cannabis Commission met.

The Florida Boards of Medicine and Osteopathic Medicine’s Joint Committee on Medical Marijuana met.

West Virginia regulators plan to approve medical cannabis dispensary license applications by the end of the year.

Nevada marijuana dispensaries will remain at 50% occupancy under new state coronavirus restrictions.

Kentucky regulators are allowing a hemp processing plant to resume operations following a shutdown caused by odor and emissions complaints.

A Virginia delegate is pushing to earmark any future marijuana tax revenue for reparations for Black and Indigenous people.

The Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands lawmaker who authored the territory’s marijuana legalization law said that regulators should focus first on enabling medical cannabis access before they open the recreational market.

A claim by a Texas representative that there’s “up to 75% reduction in opioid dosage for medical cannabis users” is mostly true, according to PolitiFact.

Alaska marijuana regulators will meet on Tuesday.


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/ LOCAL

The Tarrant County, Texas district attorney created a procedure for people to get their misdemeanor marijuana possession cases dismissed.

/ INTERNATIONAL

The Canadian government granted an exemption to a woman to use psilocybin for depression.

Thailand’s justice minister issued a memo clarifying that drugs like cocaine, marijuana and opium remain generally illegal following a move to allow their use for research.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A study found that medical cannabis “is considered as a therapeutic option by many [Parkinson’s disease] patients.”

Ohio State University’s Drug Enforcement and Policy Center established a marijuana research grant program.

/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS

The Mexican Bishops Council criticized the passage of a marijuana legalization bill in the country’s Senate.

/ BUSINESS

ATAI Life Sciences closed a $125 million funding round, including a $12 million investment from Peter Thiel.

Folium Biosciences is being accused in a lawsuit of dumping ethanol into the ground outside a factory space and into the sewer system at an extraction facility surrounded by farmland.

Tilray, Inc. announced an agreement to exchange $124.3 million of its convertible debt for 10.9 million shares.

Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. announced a fundraising initiative to support food banks, homeless shelters and nonprofits working to address food insecurity.

MedMen Enterprises Inc. announced it is carrying former basketball player Al Harrington’s Viola products at all of its locations.

Maine retailers sold $1.4 million worth of recreational marijuana products during the first month of legal sales.

/ CULTURE

The NHL Alumni Association canceled plans for a study on marijuana.

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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.

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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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