Newsletter
Trump talks cannabis & election turnout (Newsletter: August 18, 2020)
Dem treasurers defend marijuana banking from GOP attacks; SCOTUS asked to take cannabis case; Seth Rogen: Stay home & smoke weed to fight COVID
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.
Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible…
By starting a $10 per month pledge on Patreon—or about 45 cents per issue of this newsletter—you can help us rely less on ads to cover our expenses, hire more journalists and bring you even more marijuana news.
- Caleb Masoner of Operation 1620: “I run a 501c3 veteran cannabis nonprofit, called Operation 1620, and the information you round up helps me keep our community up to date. I’ve been following for some time and we’ve got members all over the US, so it feels good knowing we can help support getting this important information out to the cannabis community as a whole!”
https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment
/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
President Trump voiced concern that putting marijuana on the ballot makes Republicans lose, saying that Scott Walker would still be Wisconsin’s governor if not for 2018 cannabis initiatives in that state.
- “The next time you run please don’t put marijuana on the ballot at the same time you’re running. You brought out like a million people that nobody ever knew were coming out.”
Medical marijuana patients are asking the U.S. Supreme Court to take up a case that could force the Drug Enforcement Administration to reclassify cannabis under federal law.
The Democratic Treasurers Association is pushing back against Republican attacks on marijuana banking language in House-passed coronavirus relief legislation.
- “Despite support from Congressional Democrats and Republicans across red and blue states, Vice President Pence and Senate Leader McConnell are stuck in the past, parroting outdated rhetoric that falls far short of the leadership we need in the middle of a global public health and economic crisis.”
Actor Seth Rogen is trying to help stop the spread of coronavirus by encouraging people to “hang out alone and smoke weed and watch movies” instead of going out—and a top Canadian elected official is praising the advice.
Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have been investigating psychedelics in lab-based studies for years, but now they are asking for consumers’ help to better understand the effects of psilocybin in “real-world” settings.
Courtesy of StoptheDrugWar.org, here’s a look at the campaign to pass two South Dakota marijuana ballot measures in November.
/ FEDERAL
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Jim Carroll is pushing Mexico to step up efforts against drug cartels.
Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) tweeted, “If abortion clinics & marijuana dispensaries are ‘essential,’ why can’t a church that is complying with mask and distancing requirements stay open? This is a violation of the First Amendment.”
Maryland Democratic congressional candidate Mia Mason tweeted, “Cannabis should be legal in the USA, full stop. Four years of Trump has proven that. Our farmers are looking for something profitable to grow, might as well make it legal.”
Wyoming Democratic congressional candidate Carl Beach tweeted, “Our criminal justice system needs a massive overhaul which is why I support: looking for ways to demilitarize police and government enforcement agencies in order to provide more empathic services, decriminalizing marijuana, and ending federal minimum sentences.”
/ STATES
Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor penned a lengthy Facebook post about the need to reform marijuana laws.
Michigan regulators published an advisory bulletin on marijuana license regulatory assessments.
Colorado regulators will host a marijuana rulemaking workgroup on Tuesday.
California regulators are holding a webinar on cannabis payroll tax compliance on September 8.
—
Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,500 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.
Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—
/ LOCAL
Durham, North Carolina’s mayor wants state lawmakers to decriminalize marijuana.
San Francisco, California officials sent a warning about fraudulent messages from people purporting to represent marijuana regulatory agencies.
/ INTERNATIONAL
New Zealand’s marijuana legalization referendum, along with broader elections, is being delayed a month until October 17 due to a coronavirus outbreak in Auckland.
The UK’s restrictive medical cannabis guidelines are being legally challenged by the family of a toddler with severe epilepsy.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “although recreational marijuana legalization was not associated with changes in marijuana use among youths in California, we observed increased rates of use in Pennsylvania after legalization in California.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Minnesota Democratic–Farmer–Labor Party filed a complaint with the Federal Elections Commission calling out a Legal Marijuana Now Party candidate for allegedly failing to file campaign finance reports.
/ BUSINESS
Curaleaf Holdings, Inc. reported quarterly revenue of $117.5 million and a net loss of $2.0 million.
NuVeda LLC and its founders are being sued in a case that seeks the return of a $5 million investment in a deal that hit snags when Nevada regulators suspended the approval of marijuana licenses.
Acreage Holdings, Inc. announced it is moving to lower the exercise price for warrant shares.
Lygos, Inc. said it has validated a fermentation process that enables the production of any cannabinoid.
/ CULTURE
Madonna posted a photo of herself on Instagram in which she is holding a plate full of marijuana and rolling papers on her birthday.
The debut of the “Next Marijuana Millionaire” TV series is being delayed.
Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.
