Newsletter
Trump official defends medical cannabis in public housing (Newsletter: Dec. 11, 2018)
Feds highlight marijuana research opps; Cuomo might legalize through New York budget; McConnell uses hemp pen to sign Farm Bill
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
A Department of Housing and Urban Development official said that landlords should be required to “legally permit” medical cannabis in federally-subsidized housing. Her comments came in response to the case of a 78-year-old man who was evicted from his New York apartment due to medical marijuana use. Amid media coverage of the move, his landlord reversed its position on Monday and invited him to move back in.
After hosting a day-long marijuana research workshop, the National Institutes of Health released a list of funding opportunities for cannabis studies—several of which don’t even explicitly mention cannabinoids, which suggests an effort to greatly expand cannabis science.
The final text of the Farm Bill was released—including hemp legalization provisions and a scaled back ban on participation in the newly legal economy by people with felony drug convictions. House and Senate votes to send the bill to President Trump’s desk are expected this week.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) used a hemp pen to sign off on the Farm Bill conference report.
New York lawmakers are hearing signals that Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) may include marijuana legalization in his state budget proposal due out next month.
/ FEDERAL
Customs and Border Protection Commissioner Kevin McAleenan said his agency is working to “make sure that that transition to national legalization [of marijuana] in Canada goes smoothly” at the border.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on Wednesday titled, “Narcos: Transnational Cartels and Border Security.”
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA) tweeted, “Decriminalizing marijuana at the federal level isn’t just a smart thing to do —it’s the right thing to do. We can’t keep repeating the same mistakes of the past. Too many lives have been ruined by these regressive policies.”
Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI) criticized Michigan Republican lawmakers for seeking to “overturn the will of the voters” by, among other things, considering legislation to scale back marijuana legalization.
/ STATES
Kentucky’s attorney general wants to put medical cannabis legalization before voters in a referendum.
The Utah Supreme Court is considering two emergency petitions seeking to overturn the legislature’s move to replace the voter-approved medical cannabis ballot measure with a “compromise” bill.
Some details are beginning to emerge about 2019 Illinois marijuana legalization legislation, including expungement and licensing provisions, as well as those aimed at ensuring equity in the industry for people of color.
New Jersey mayors met with the House speaker to advocate for social justice provisions in marijuana legalization legislation.
Ohio regulators announced that nearly 2,000 patients and caregivers have already signed up in the first week of the state’s medical cannabis registry being active.
Oklahoma officials are being asked to investigate possible collusion between state agencies when drafting medical cannabis regulations.
California regulators released guidance about marijuana product testing requirements.
Michigan regulators released guidance about selling medical cannabis to patients with registrations from other states.
Massachusetts regulators are co-hosting a forum for municipal officials to discuss the decision-making process for regulating or banning marijuana commerce at the local level next week.
Nevada regulators awarded 61 new recreational marijuana retailer conditional licenses.
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/ LOCAL
Brooklyn, New York’s district attorney is hosting events to help people erase prior marijuana convictions.
The Boston, Massachusetts City Council will hold a hearing on a proposal to bar marijuana businesses from operating within a half-mile of addiction treatment centers on Tuesday. Separately, the mayor wrote an op-ed about the implementation of recreational marijuana sales in the city.
The Norman, Oklahoma City is considering decriminalizing marijuana.
Los Angeles, California officials held a press conference about driving under the influence of marijuana and other drugs.
The Chatham, New Jersey Borough Council passed a resolution opposing marijuana legalization.
/ INTERNATIONAL
New Zealand lawmakers approved medical cannabis legislation.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study of Washington State adolescents before and after marijuana legalization “provided no evidence that policy change influenced heavy-using adolescents’ rates of use nor the proposed risk factors associated with problematic use patterns.”
A study “illustrates that CBD is a well-tolerated and effective antiseizure agent and illustrates a potential disease-modifying effect of CBD on both reducing seizure burden and associated comorbidities well-after the onset of symptomatic seizures.”
A study’s results “support” medical cannabis “as an option for treatment of concussion-related chronic pain.”
/ OPINION & ANALYSIS
A poll found that 73% of New Zealanders voters think medical cannabis should be treated like any other medicine.
/ BUSINESS
Aurora Cannabis Inc. is acquiring licensed Mexican marijuana product importer Farmacias Magistrales S.A.
Dixie Brands Inc. announced a net loss of $2.4 million in the third quarter of the year.
/ CULTURE
Miley Cyrus says her mom got her back into smoking marijuana again.
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