Newsletter
Trump’s new chief of staff supports cannabis reform (Newsletter: Dec. 17, 2018)
NY legalization details coming Monday; RI gov feels peer pressure to legalize marijuana; Coalition involving AARP calls for descheduling
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
President Trump’s new acting White House chief of staff, Mick Mulvaney, voted as a congressman to bar the Department of Justice from interfering with state marijuana legalization, increase cannabis businesses’ access to banks, allow military veterans to access medical marijuana and more.
The Leadership Conference on Civil and Human Rights—a coalition that includes AARP, NAACP, League of Women Voters, Anti-Defamation League, big labor unions and many other major organizations—included full descheduling of marijuana in its list of priorities for the 116th Congress.
New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said he will reveal details about his 2019 marijuana legalization plan in a speech on Monday.
Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo (D) said she’d prefer to wait on legalizing marijuana but that the state might effectively be peer pressured into ending cannabis prohibition sooner because of actions by neighboring states.
Mexico’s foreign affairs secretary told lawmakers that the government will be actively seeking advice from other countries that have already legalized marijuana as it moves to end cannabis prohibition.
A Missouri representative pre-filed a bill to shield medical cannabis patient information from the federal government. If enacted, any state official who violates the policy would be committing a felony.
A survey found that Americans seem to think smoking marijuana is safer than vaping it.
/ FEDERAL
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the Fourth Circuit ruled that finding three marijuana stems in somebody’s trash doesn’t permit police to search their home for evidence of drug trafficking.
The U.S. attorney for Utah said, “What was a hands-off [marijuana enforcement] approach previously under the Obama administration, whatever handcuffs or restraints that were placed on me are gone, and I have a lot of discretion to see best how to use our limited resources.”
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) authored an op-ed about his successful push to legalize hemp.
Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO) said his move to attach marijuana reform to criminal justice legislation this week is “by far and away the best shot we’ve had so far.”
Sen.-elect Kevin Cramer (R-ND) released a video of himself touting the Farm Bill’s hemp legalization provisions.
Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) tweeted about how in 2012 he “was the lead GOP cosponsor of the first Senate bill to legalize hemp.”
Sen. Mark Warner (D-VA) tweeted, “One of the most important parts of the 2018 Farm Bill is legislation @TimKaine and I sponsored legalizing industrial hemp. This is going to be a big job-creator all across the Commonwealth.”
Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) tweeted, “Together we are going to legalize marijuana, expunge low-level offenses, and invest in communities of color so the ‘war on drugs’ becomes something only learned in history books and not experienced everyday by black and brown Americans.”
The House bill to respect state marijuana laws got one new cosponsor, for a total of 45.
/ STATES
New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu (R) vowed to veto any marijuana legalization bill and is urging the state Commission on Alcohol and Drug Abuse Prevention, Treatment and Recovery to join him in the fight to defeat such legislation.
North Dakota’s attorney general is endorsing marijuana decriminalization.
Nevada’s incoming attorney general said he would defend the marijuana industry from any federal crackdown.
Washington State regulators walked back a proposed broad ban on many marijuana edibles, instead issuing specific color and shape guidelines to prevent production of candies that could appeal to children.
Iowa regulators voted to add autism spectrum disorders and ulcerative colitis as CBD medical cannabis qualifying conditions, and to allow inhaled forms of medicine such as vaporization.
Massachusetts health regulators shut down a company’s medical cannabis dispensaries for using pesticides and ordered another to stop selling unapproved CBD products.
Michigan State Police are changing how they use drug-sniffing dogs in light of marijuana legalization.
California regulators report that an increasing percentage of marijuana products are passing safety checks.
Maine officials took down a Facebook page aimed at raising awareness of the potential harms of marijuana after advocates launched a parody effort.
Kentucky’s agriculture commissioner congratulated a CBD and hemp company for expanding its operations.
A Nebraska senator criticized Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) for opposing medical cannabis while at the same time “violat[ing] FDA laws and regulations to execute Nebraskans.”
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/ LOCAL
Denver, Colorado regulators announced that a marijuana business is voluntarily recalling products due to the presence of elevated yeast and mold counts.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau said he is “confident” that marijuana product shortages “will sort themselves out” within a year and that he is not looking at legalizing other drugs.
/ ADVOCACY
The Republican Party of New York tweeted, “Billions in wasted taxpayer $$$ while our roads, bridges, and subways fall into disrepair. Marijuana income is not going to save @andrewcuomo’s poor budget management, officials warn.”
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study found that “administration of oral CBD in addition to routine psychiatric care was associated with PTSD symptom reduction in adults” and that “CBD also appeared to offer relief in a subset of patients who reported frequent nightmares as a symptom of their PTSD.”
Bloomberg looks at efforts to map the cannabis genome.
/ OPINION & ANALYSIS
In a poll about false claims made by politicians, “46 percent of [American] adults incorrectly believe there are more people in prison for selling or possessing marijuana than for all violent crimes, an assertion made by Massachusetts Sen. Elizabeth Warren,” as compared to “22 percent who correctly said violent criminals were more common in prison.”
/ BUSINESS
Sweet Leaf was ordered by a judge to pay $8.8 million after allegedly failing to meet commitments to a property owner.
George Soros tweeted about Mexico’s moves to legalize marijuana.
/ CULTURE
The winner of the Miss Universe pageant was asked to weigh in on marijuana legalization during the competition’s question-and-answer round.
Marijuana-themed dog names like Mary Jane and Doobie are up 41% in Denver this year, according to Rover.com.
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