Newsletter
Twitter ends cannabis search warnings (Newsletter: December 23, 2022)
Lawmakers press Biden on marijuana; MN gov expected to put legalization in budget; DC expungements bill; 210K medical cannabis patient records study
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
A bipartisan group of 29 House and Senate lawmakers sent a letter calling on President Joe Biden to endorse marijuana legalization as his administration conducts a review of cannabis’s federal scheduling status.
Minnesota’s House speaker said she expects Gov. Tim Walz (D) to include marijuana legalization in his budget request when he submits it to lawmakers early next year.
The Washington, D.C. Council approved legislation to automatically expunge marijuana possession records.
Twitter appears to have ended a federal partnership that had presented users who searched the site for “marijuana” news with a suggestion they consider entering drug treatment. No such suggestion had appeared for “alcohol” searches.
A new NuggMD analysis of more than 210,000 medical marijuana patient records indicates that states with limited qualifying condition lists are deterring patients from seeking and accessing cannabis medicine that can treat their maladies.
/ FEDERAL
Sen. John Hickenlooper (D-CO) tweeted, “In Colorado, legal cannabis businesses are often small businesses that fuel our local economies and create new jobs. Can you imagine what federal legalization would accomplish? I don’t know about you, but I’m ready to see it!”
Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO), who is retiring at the end of this Congress, said he went out “swinging” on marijuana banking.
The House bill to expand eligibility for expungement of first-time drug possession records got one new cosponsor for a total of 13.
/ STATES
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) announced the timeline for the next round of cannabis dispensary licenses.
North Carolina’s House speaker said he expects medical cannabis legislation to be considered again in 2023 but noted that he didn’t think a prior bill had enough support within his caucus and he’s not sure where new members stand on the issue.
The California Supreme Court ruled that bong manufacturers aren’t required to warn customers that they could be exposed to a chemical that causes cancer.
Washington State’s Social Equity in Cannabis Task Force issued its final report.
Oregon regulators published a compliance bulletin about changes to marijuana rules.
Vermont has collected $329,231 in marijuana excise tax revenue in the nearly two months since legal recreational sales began.
Nevada marijuana regulators are partnering with Lyft for discounted ride-sharing to reduce impaired driving during the holidays.
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/ LOCAL
Detroit, Michigan officials issued the first recreational marijuana business licenses after a federal judge rejected a motion for a preliminary injunction against the city’s cannabis rules.
The Jackson County, Oregon Board of Commissioners declared a state of emergency on cannabis grows.
The St. Cloud, Minnesota City Council approved licensing for businesses that sell cannabinoid products.
/ INTERNATIONAL
German lawmakers are withholding funds from the Ministry of Health until the government releases a draft marijuana legalization bill.
The head of Malta’s cannabis authority said there’s no conflict presented by his past role as leader of a church social organization opposed to drug policy reform.
A Western Australia lawmaker sent a Christmas card with an illustration depicting him getting pulled over by the police while driving Santa’s sleigh with large sacks of cannabis in the back.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study “did not support that the number of retail stores within 2-, 5-, 10-, or 20-mile radii of adolescents’ homes increased likelihood of past-year cannabis use at the within- or between-subjects levels” and “did not support a greater likelihood of cannabis use among youth whose adolescence coincided more fully with the post-[recreational cannabis legalization] period,” but “a secondary model suggested that after adjusting for adolescents’ concurrent alcohol use as a marker of general substance use risk, RCL was associated with cannabis use.”
A review concluded that “CBD has the prospective to become an adequate supplement that may improve muscle recovery.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
The Indiana Democratic Party tweeted, “The @indgop should set aside its partisanship and legalize marijuana. It’s a win-win for the Hoosier State.”
The sister of American Marc Fogel, who is imprisoned in Russia for possessing medical cannabis, authored an op-ed saying that the Biden administration should take steps to free him similar to what they did for basketball player Brittney Griner.
The RAND Corporation published a paper on psychedelics and veterans’ mental health.
/ BUSINESS
Trulieve Cannabis Corp. reached a settlement with the Occupational Safety and Health Administration that requires the company to conduct a study on whether ground cannabis dust should be classified as a “hazardous chemical” following the death of a Massachusetts employee who collapsed on the job.
Akanda Corp. announced that its CEO is on a paid leave of absence amid an independent investigation of unspecified matters.
Dutchie was selected by New York officials to provide technology and point-of-sale solutions for marijuana dispensaries.
Tilray Inc. shareholders proposed an increased $39.9 million settlement in a lawsuit alleging that directors of the company unfairly structured a merger to benefit founders.
SNDL Inc. and Nova Cannabis are forming a strategic partnership on a cannabis retail platform in Canada.
Rhode Island dispensaries sold $2.9 million worth of legal marijuana products in the first two weeks of legal sales.
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