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WI medical cannabis prospects for 2023 (Newsletter: April 4, 2023)
NBA to allow marijuana investments; AR guns rights & cannabis bill; Marianne Williamson on legalization
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
The National Basketball Association is not only ending its ban on marijuana use by players, but it will also reportedly allow them to invest in and promote cannabis brands under a new collective bargaining agreement.
Wisconsin’s Democratic Senate minority leader and a GOP senator said that enacting a medical cannabis legalization bill is possible this session—but they detailed some of the limitations it would likely need to include in order to pass.
The Arkansas House Judiciary Committee approved a bill to clarify that medical cannabis patients can obtain concealed carry licenses for firearms.
Marijuana Moment compiled a look at where Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson stands on cannabis, psychedelics and drug policy.
Missouri Department of Health and Senior Service data shows that the state’s voter-approved marijuana legalization law has already created thousands of new jobs across the state.
Florida hemp industry stakeholders and the state’s former agriculture commissioner say pending legislation to restrict intoxicating cannabinoid products would give an unfair advantage to medical marijuana companies like Trulieve—though it says it has no involvement in pushing the change.
/ FEDERAL
The Drug Enforcement Administration Museum obtained a new batch of historical documents from the agency.
A federal judge upheld the Internal Revenue Service’s decision to deny tax-exempt status to an Iowa church that uses ayahuasca in its ceremonies.
Sens. Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Cynthia Lummis (R-WY) sent a letter pressing Attorney General Merrick Garland about the Drug Enforcement Administration’s practice of paying informants “employed by other U.S. government agencies and companies as a means to access data” on Americans without court oversight.
Rep. Brian Mast (R-FL) spoke about the bill he is sponsoring to allow military veterans to get medical cannabis recommendations from their Department of Veterans Affairs doctors.
/ STATES
Utah Gov. Spencer Cox (R) signed a bill to create a new Center for Medicinal Cannabis Research within the University of Utah.
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear (D) signed a bill to decriminalize fentanyl test strips.
A spokesperson for Rhode Island Gov. Dan McKee (D) blamed a delay in his appointing members of the Cannabis Control Commission on the lengthy background check process.
The Texas Senate Business & Commerce will hold a hearing on a bill that would overturn locally approved marijuana decriminalization measures on Tuesday.
A Pennsylvania representative expressed concerns about marijuana legalization and said he is skeptical of its revenue generation potential.
New York regulators approved licenses for additional recreational marijuana dispensaries and a testing lab. Separately, they posted a video about cannabis products and serving sizes.
Connecticut has generated more than $59 million in cannabis licensing and lottery fees.
Oregon’s Artificially Derived Cannabinoids (CBN) Rules Advisory Committee will meet on Tuesday.
Washington State’s Cannabinoid Science Work Group will meet on Thursday.
Vermont regulators will host a networking event on human resources issues for cannabis businesses on Thursday.
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Marijuana Moment is tracking more than 1,000 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.
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/ LOCAL
Voters in dozens of Missouri municipalities and counties will decide on ballot measures to establish local taxes on marijuana sales on Tuesday.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Mexican President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador criticized the National Basketball Association’s move to end its ban on marijuana at a time when U.S. politicians are threatening to invade his country over drug production.
Colombia’s Ministry of the Interior tweeted about the advancement of a marijuana legalization bill in Congress.
The European Monitoring Centre for Drugs and Drug Addiction and European Medicines Agency responded to letters from members of the European Parliament about more actively exploring the therapeutic potential of psychedelics.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A review concluded that “growing evidence indicates that CBD acts as an antipsychotic and anxiolytic, and several reports suggest neuroprotective effects” and that “CBD attenuates the harmful effects of trans-Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol, both acutely and chronically, including psychotogenic, anxiogenic, and deleterious cognitive effects.”
A study provided “promising preliminary support for psilocybin as a treatment of” body dysmorphic disorder.
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
A poll found that UK voters support legalizing marijuana, 55 percent to 32 percent.
A United Food and Commercial Workers International Union official authored an op-ed criticizing Maryland lawmakers for removing labor peace agreement provisions from a marijuana sales regulation bill.
The American Society of Addiction Medicine published a podcast episode on psychedelics as potential treatments for depression.
The Boston Globe editorial board is pushing Massachusetts marijuana regulators to be more “transparent, accountable, and responsive.”
/ BUSINESS
POSaBIT Systems Corporation is acquiring certain assets from Hypur Inc.
Smoakland is beta-testing a loophole that it says lets its customers use credit cards by technically purchasing cryptocurrency that is then used in a separate step to pay for marijuana.
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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
