Newsletter
Sessions slams GOP senator’s cannabis advocacy (Newsletter: Feb. 13, 2018)
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.
Trump moves to gut drug czar’s office; Fed court hears marijuana case; NH legalization hearing
Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible…
182 Marijuana Moment readers are now supporting cannabis advocacy journalism with monthly pledges on Patreon. Are you one of them yet?
I’m only able to continue compiling and sending all this news to you every day because of generous contributions from readers who value staying informed…
- Amelia Randall of Honest Herb, Inc: “I am happy to pledge monthly financial support for Marijuana Moment because it is a valuable resource for that I rely on and look forward to reading each morning. The newsletters are impressively concise, while the content is thorough, well-organized and timely. The newsletter is my go-to source for all types of cannabis news. I recommend it to anyone involved in the industry and encourage those who can, to read, benefit from, and support Marijuana Moment.”
Our new legislative tracking tools — available to readers pledging at least $25 per month — currently show 20 individual cannabis bills that are being heard by state legislative committees on Tuesday alone.
Here’s a preview:
Subscribers who value this daily dispatch enough to show their support with a few dollars help me keep doing this. Please chip in and help ensure Marijuana Moment’s continued operations.
http://patreon.com/marijuanamoment
/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
U.S. Attorney General Jeff Sessions accused Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) of undermining national security with his efforts to defend his state’s marijuana law from federal interference.
President Trump’s 2019 budget request proposes a greater than 90% cut in funding for the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy by shifting its key programs to the Departments of Justice and Health and Human Services.
/ FEDERAL
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is set to mark up a criminal justice reform bill on Thursday, but questions are being raised about the Trump administration’s position on the issue.
A federal court will hear a lawsuit against marijuana’s Schedule I status on Wednesday.
Congressman Matt Gaetz (R-FL) hosted town hall meetings about medical cannabis and revealed details of marijuana research legislation he will soon introduce. He also said that he has spoken with President Trump about the issue.
Congressman Ro Khanna (D-CA) tweeted, “The facts say that [marijuana is] not a gateway drug.”
/ STATES
Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) said he would veto marijuana legalization but would sign a medical cannabis bill that was “crafted properly.”
Georgia Gov. Nathan Deal (R) said he opposes allowing in-state cultivation of medical cannabis.
Ohio Democratic gubernatorial candidate Richard Cordray said he would implement marijuana legalization if voters approved it. (About 10:30 into the audio clip.) Separately, State Auditor Dave Yost (R), an attorney general candidate, identified a “critical flaw” in the state’s medical cannabis licensing system. And activists say they will submit a proposed marijuana legalization ballot measure by the end of the month.
The Virginia Senate approved a bill to allow people to expunge first-time marijuana possession charges.
The New Hampshire House Ways and Means Committee will hear a marijuana legalization bill on Tuesday.
Connecticut’s Senate president expects “robust debate” on marijuana legalization this year.
The Massachusetts Executive Office on Public Safety and Security expressed concerns about proposed regulations to allow marijuana social use areas and delivery.
A Michigan court ordered Detroit to begin accepting medical cannabis business license applications.
/ LOCAL
The St. Louis, Missouri Board of Aldermen will consider a proposal to prevent police from enforcing marijuana laws on Tuesday.
The Berkeley, California City Council will vote Tuesday on a measure to prohibit municipal employees from assisting in federal marijuana crackdowns.
A Cook County, Illinois commissioner who successfully pushed to place a nonbinding marijuana legalization referendum before voters says he uses medical cannabis.
Denver, Colorado is hiring a Food Safety and Marijuana Program supervisor.
/ ADVOCACY
The Marijuana Policy Project is holding a t-shirt design contest.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study examining 25 years of car accident data “found a 12% increase in the relative risk of a fatal traffic crash after 4:20 pm on April 20 compared with identical time intervals on control days.”
A study found that 89% of Irish chronic pain patients “agreed that cannabis should be legalised for chronic pain medicinal purposes.”
Researchers at the University of Arkansas are conducting a study of people’s attitudes before and after the legalization of medical cannabis in the state.
/ OPINION & ANALYSIS
A poll found that Florida voters support legalizing marijuana, 62%-35%.
A poll found that Iowans support medical cannabis, 78%-19%, but oppose legalizing marijuana, 39%-58%.
A survey found that Canadians are “mostly favourable to cannabis’s legalization and willing to try cannabis-infused food products” but that most “do not feel knowledgeable enough to cook with cannabis at home, which opens an opportunity for leaders in the industry.”
/ CULTURE
Travel writer Rick Steves is hosting briefings about marijuana legalization for congressional staffers on Tuesday.
Musician David Byrne wrote about the success of Colorado’s legalization of marijuana and Portugal’s decriminalization of all drugs.
A Florida man who blamed his violent outburst on an international flight on marijuana edibles has pleaded guilty in federal court.
Dear Abby told a Nevada woman that her brother-in-law’s shunning of her over medical cannabis use is “cruel.”
The Los Angeles Times made a marijuana-themed Valentine’s Day cards.
Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.
