Newsletter
Warren campaign denies blocking job over cannabis offense (Newsletter: December 26, 2019)
Portland psychedelic decrim campaign collects signatures; Study: Marijuana stores don’t sell to underage kids; NORML makes cannabis banking push
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
A top aide to Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) told Marijuana Moment that a viral tweet claiming her presidential campaign rejected a job applicant over a past cannabis offense is false. The post now has roughly 10,000 likes and 2,000 retweets.
Activists in Portland, Oregon are now collecting signatures for a proposed 2020 ballot measure to decriminalize psychedelics such as psilocybin, ayahuasca, ibogaine and mescaline.
A study that sent underage buyers to cannabis stores found that “compliance with laws restricting marijuana sales to individuals 21 or older with a valid ID was high” and that “refusal rates exceeded those for alcohol and are similar to those for tobacco.”
/ FEDERAL
The Food and Drug Administration is currently considering a proposal to allow the use of MDMA therapy under its “expanded access” program.
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a presidential candidate, tweeted, “The War on Drugs has been a disaster. We need to legalize marijuana nationwide, invest in the communities that have been destroyed by its criminalization, and expunge past marijuana-related convictions.”
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) sent a press release about cannabis-related provisions attached to federal spending legislation, saying, “CBD is brimming with potential to be a billion-dollar industry across New York State, bringing along countless jobs and truly meaningful economic development with it. But before that can happen, we need to be 100% sure we understand the ABC’s of CBD—its impact on human health, and how best to regulate it at the federal level.”
Rep. Denny Heck (D-WA) highlighted marijuana banking legislation in a #12BillsOfChristmas Twitter thread he posted.
Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) tweeted, “A historic year indeed. The #SAFEBankingAct was the biggest reform to our federal cannabis laws since 1970. I hope we’ll continue to see progress in 2020 and get #SAFEBanking signed into law to protect businesses, residents and communities.”
North Carolina Democratic congressional candidate Steve Woodsmall tweeted, “I support the federal legalization of cannabis and the expungement of all nonviolent offenders as a result of cannabis, due to the positive consequences agriculturally, and to the criminal justice system.”
/ STATES
Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) said that Chicago officials who sought to delay the start of marijuana sales “didn’t really understand the bill. They didn’t read it completely or didn’t understand all the provisions that are really focused on social equity.”
Connecticut Gov. Ned Lamont (D) spoke about his support for legalizing marijuana in light of regional developments, saying, “What are we going to be, some little island? It’s impossible to enforce a world like that.”
Wisconsin’s Senate minority leader said she hopes both major parties can work together on medical cannabis.
California officials and activists are considering whether a new ballot initiative is needed to address regulatory hurdles in the state’s current legal marijuana law.
A second group of Oklahoma activists are filing a proposed marijuana legalization ballot measure.
Vermont police data shows that arrests for THC-impaired driving have more than doubled in the year since the state legalized marijuana possession, but that may be because there has been an increased emphasis on training officers to focus on detecting such activity.
Louisiana regulators are fast-tracking hemp rules, with the first cultivation licenses expected to be issued in February.
Missouri regulators announced the first round of approved medical cannabis transportation businesses.
Colorado marijuana dispensaries will be required to post warnings about the effects of marijuana on pregnant women starting January 1.
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/ LOCAL
New York City police have returned an improperly seized hemp shipment to a Brooklyn CBD wholesaler.
/ INTERNATIONAL
The Israel Innovation Authority is investing in a medical cannabis startup incubator.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A review concluded that “newly available evidence supports earlier findings that cannabidiol probably reduces the frequency of seizures among children with drug-resistant epilepsy.”
A study found that “cannabidiol is a potent in vitro inhibitor of the two-step hydrolysis of heroin.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
NORML is urging people to write Senate Banking Committee Chairman Mike Crapo (R-ID) in opposition to the 2% THC cap he floated for marijuana businesses to qualify for access to financial services.
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette editorial board is calling on the federal government to respect state marijuana laws.
/ BUSINESS
The Securities and Exchange Commission published a Federal Register notice about NYSE Arca’s plans to list and trade shares of the AdvisorShares Pure US Cannabis ETF.
/ CULTURE
Rapper DaBaby was caught with marijuana shortly after giving away toys to children following a concert.
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