Newsletter
WH touts cannabis action ahead of SOTU, but no speech mention (Newsletter: February 8, 2023)
VA Senate passes marijuana & psilocybin bills; MN gov on cannabis taxes; NH legalization plan; “Black market” op-ed
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…
Free to read (but not free to produce)! We’re proud of our newsletter and the reporting we publish at Marijuana Moment, and we’re happy to provide it for free. But it takes a lot of work and resources to make this happen.
If you value Marijuana Moment, invest in our success on Patreon so we can expand our coverage and more readers can benefit: https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment
/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
In a fact sheet released ahead of President Joe Biden’s State of the Union speech on Tuesday, the White House touted his cannabis pardons—saying that “criminalization of marijuana possession has upended too many lives.” The president did not end up discussing cannabis during the speech itself, though he did call for a crackdown on fentanyl and other drugs.
The Virginia Senate passed bills to allow recreational marijuana sales to begin and to reschedule psilocybin while creating an advisory board to study therapeutic access to the psychedelic. The proposals now head to the House of Delegates.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) spoke about why his budget proposal’s marijuana legalization plan includes a proposed tax rate that is nearly double that of the separate framework being advanced by lawmakers.
The New Hampshire House Commerce and Consumer Affairs Liquor Subcommittee discussed merging provisions of competing marijuana legalization bills with the intent of coming back to advance a unified proposal on Wednesday.
A Georgia representative filed a bill to bring greater transparency and oversight to the state’s medical cannabis business licensing process.
Cannabis Regulators of Color Coalition Vice Chair Cat Packer, a former top Los Angeles cannabis official, argues in a new Marijuana Moment op-ed that legalization advocates should stop using the term “black market.”
- “We shouldn’t equate black with illegal and we shouldn’t use the term “black market” as a synonym for illegal market.”
/ FEDERAL
The Food and Drug Administration officials discussed cannabis regulatory issues in a newsletter and podcast.
White House Office of National Drug Control Policy Director Rahul Gupta coauthored a journal article laying out an “agenda” for substance use prevention.
Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) said people in other states are watching to see the results of Oregon’s voter-approved drug decriminalization law.
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) tweeted, “300+ Americans are murdered every day by fentanyl. It’s the number 1 cause of death of young people ages 18-45. Naloxone nasal spray (NARCAN) should be in every family home, school, dorm, and widely available at a low cost. We must stop the Cartels from killing our children.”
/ STATES
West Virginia’s agriculture commissioner authored an op-ed arguing for regulations on hemp-derived products.
The South Dakota House Health and Human Services Committee approved two bills to place further restrictions on the medical cannabis recommendation process.
Maryland House Democrats tweeted that a new marijuana legalization bill “has a plan for legal, adult-use cannabis that puts equity at the center of the program.” They also tweeted that “Maryland’s legal cannabis program will help discourage an illicit market while still helping fund support for social equity applicants and traditionally disenfranchised communities.”
Minnesota Senate Democrats tweeted about the racial justice aims of marijuana legalization.
Kansas House Democrats tweeted about the launch of recreational marijuana sales in neighboring Missouri.
An Arizona representative filed a bill to prohibit housing discrimination against cannabis consumers.
A Nevada assemblymember spoke about plans to file a bill to remove marijuana’s status as a controlled substance.
Colorado lawmakers are considering legislation to roll back some medical cannabis restrictions that were enacted last year.
A Kentucky senator said he’s more optimistic about passing legislation to legalize medical cannabis than sports gambling.
Alaska regulations on cannabis trade show sample sizes were approved.
Washington State regulators expanded a contract to provide free security assessments to cannabis retailers.
New Jersey regulators will consider marijuana business issues on Wednesday.
—
Marijuana Moment is tracking hundreds of cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy 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
New York City’s mayor and the Manhattan district attorney announced a coordinated effort to pressure unlicensed marijuana retailers to close.
The Columbia, Missouri City Council voted to allow medical cannabis dispensaries to sell recreational marijuana.
/ INTERNATIONAL
A Mexican senator filed hemp legislation.
UK lawmakers discussed cannabis legalization during a visit to Uruguay.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study on medical cannabis for treatment-resistant combat PTSD found that “total sleep score, subjective sleep quality, and sleep duration significantly improved” and “total PTSD symptom score and its subdomains (intrusiveness, avoidance, and alertness) showed improvement” but that “there was no improvement in the frequency of nightmares.”
A study suggested that “inhalant CBD can impede lung cancer growth.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
A poll of U.S. adults found that 53 percent believe reducing the availability of illegal drugs should be a top priority for the president and Congress.
The Indiana Democratic Party tweeted, “It’s past time to legalize cannabis. Why? More than 80% of Hoosiers support legalization in some form, and it’s a win-win economic opportunity for Indiana businesses and taxpayers. A vote for @INDems is a vote to legalize marijuana.”
Americans for Prosperity launched a new podcast about the war on drugs.
The Association of Cannabis Testing Laboratories is a newly launched trade association.
/ BUSINESS
Scotts Miracle-Gro Co. subsidiary Hawthorne Collective Inc. is suing JW Asset Management LLC and TerrAscend Corp. for allegedly violating antitrust law in an attempt to “ruin” its interest in RIV Capital Inc.
Curaleaf is laying off 47 workers in Pueblo County, Colorado as part of its exit from the state.
Metrc expanded its marijuana tracking contract with Missouri regulators.
Akanda Corp.’s CEO resigned.
Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.
Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
