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State bankers groups call on Senate to advance cannabis bill (Newsletter: May 22, 2019)

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AOC pushes HUD on marijuana evictions; Feds’ cannabis meetings this summer; Presidential candidates back descheduling; Psychedelics reduce alcohol use

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There are now 1,107 cannabis-related bills moving through state legislatures and Congress for 2019 sessions.

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

Bankers associations from all 50 states joined together to urge the Senate Banking Committee to stop blocking marijuana financial services legislation from advancing.

Advisory boards for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration announced that they will discuss issues related to marijuana’s impact on health and safety at meetings this summer.

During a House hearing, Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) got Housing and Urban Development Secretary Ben Carson on the record about how racial disparities in drug enforcement leave people of color vulnerable to being evicted from public housing for low-level marijuana offenses thanks to federal “one strike” and “no fault” rules.

Several presidential candidates in the Senate and House are cosponsoring newly filed marijuana descheduling legislation.

A study examining the potential of psychedelics to reduce alcohol use disorder found that “almost all respondents reported that they had greatly reduced or quit drinking alcohol since their reference psychedelic experience…”

/ FEDERAL

The U.S. attorney for the Southern District of West Virginia tweeted, “Medicinal marijuana regimes are for medicinal purposes only as medical needs require. Abuses of system will be dealt with the same way we deal with other drug dealers and drug abusers in existing medical system- Sternly and Toughly.”

The Food and Drug Administration’s chief of staff discussed the agency’s efforts to regulate CBD in a speech at a conference.

Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb said “there’s no science to demonstrate that putting it in the food supply has any medicinal value, let alone [to] support that it’s safe.”

The Congressional Cannabis Caucus co-hosted a day-long event about marijuana in the Capitol.

The Senate marijuana banking bill got one new cosponsor, for a total of 28.

The House bill to deschedule marijuana and punish states with discriminatory enforcement got two new cosponsors, for a total of 40.

The House bill to deschedule marijuana got one new cosponsor, for a total of 27.

The House resolution calling on states and localities to ensure equity in the marijuana industry got one new cosponsor, for a total of seven.

/ STATES

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) tweeted in support of a bill to create a Cannabis Compliance Board.

Kentucky Gov. Matt Bevin (R) said he supports medical cannabis and added that hemp “is a tremendous cash crop.”

New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) tweeted, “Can I say ‘hemp hemp, hooray!’ or would that be too much…”

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo’s (D) administration is “not actively” involved in marijuana legalization discussions, according to the Assembly majority leader.

The chief justice of Colorado’s Supreme Court is worried that a recent ruling on drug-sniffing dogs could put the state’s marijuana laws at greater risk from a potential federal preemption case.

Illinois’s secretary of state is investigating a state senator’s ties to the marijuana industry. Separately, lawmakers approved a bill to allow medical cannabis to be administered at schools.

The California Senate approved a bill to create a state-chartered bank to serve the marijuana industry.

The Louisiana Senate Agriculture Committee approved a hemp bill.

The Rhode Island Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on legislation to add new medical cannabis compassion centers.

Massachusetts senators are considering legislation to create no-interest loans for social equity and economic empowerment applicants for marijuana business licenses.

Missouri regulators rejected a challenge to its award of a contract to Metrc to run the state’s medical cannabis tracking system.

North Dakota activists withdrew a marijuana legalization ballot measure they filed and plan to make changes for a new version.


Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,000 cannabis 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.

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/ LOCAL

Macon-Bibb County, Georgia commissioners approved a marijuana decriminalization ordinance.

Portsmouth, Virginia judges say they will handle the dismissal of marijuana charges on a case-by-case basis.

The Clark County, Nevada Commission voted to direct nearly $1.8 million in marijuana business license fees toward programs to help homeless people.

/ INTERNATIONAL

Ireland’s Cabinet is expected to consider marijuana law reform proposals within the next few weeks.

The Canadian government will make an announcement about funding marijuana research on Wednesday.

A court in Myanmar charged an American man with growing marijuana—which he said was permitted hemp—and he now faces a potential death sentence if convicted.

/ ADVOCACY

The Hemp Industries Association launched a digital ad in Times Square urging Facebook to end its policy of rejecting hemp and CBD advertisements.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A study concluded that “CBD’s potential to reduce cue-induced craving and anxiety provides a strong basis for further investigation of this phytocannabinoid as a treatment option for opioid use disorder.”

A study identified “the northeastern Tibetan Plateau”—not far from where the extinct archaic human species Denisovans were known to live— as “the Cannabis centre of origin.”

/ OPINION & ANALYSIS

A poll found that Texans support legalizing marijuana, 62%-28%.

A survey examined partisan differences in attitudes about marijuana legalization.

/ BUSINESS

Novartis’s CEO said that marijuana is “not a focus” for the company despite its partnership with Tilray.

Arkansas dispensaries sold $353,802 worth of medical cannabis in the first week of sales.

Here’s a look at major banks’ employee marijuana testing policies.

/ CULTURE

The UFC is partnering with Aurora Cannabis Inc. to study the effects of CBD on athlete wellness and recovery.

Former National Basketball Association Commissioner David Stern said that legal marijuana is “coming and will be as crazy as sports betting.”

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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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