Newsletter
Youth cannabis use dropped after legalization, CDC study finds (Newsletter: October 7, 2019)
Federal CBD warning memo; FDA cautions against marijuana vapes; Nat’l Academies hosts CBD webinar
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
A little-noticed government-wide memo from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration on THC in hemp-derived products causing positive drug tests appears to be what spurred agencies such as NASA, the Department of Defense and the Coast Guard to send warnings about CBD products to workers this summer.
A study published by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that youth marijuana use in Washington State’s largest county declined after cannabis was legalized for adults, and noted that the results are “consistent with trends reported in Colorado and Oregon,” which also legalized.
The National Academies of Science, Engineering and Medicine will host a forum this month on the “current and emerging scientific knowledge on and the potential health implications” of CBD.
/ FEDERAL
Acting Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Ned Sharpless urged consumers to “stop using vaping products that contain THC or that have had any substances added to them, including those purchased from retail establishments.”
The Federal Trade Commission released the full text of CBD warning letters it sent to companies last month.
A federal judge denied a request for a temporary restraining order on Massachusetts’s ban on vaping products.
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), a presidential candidate, tweeted, “Times have changed. We have to get smart on marijuana reform and give people of color the opportunity to reap the benefits that come from the legal marijuana industry.”
Sen. Michael Bennet (D-CO), a presidential candidate, made a joke about not having any marijuana on him in response to a question about legalization.
Here’s a look at the role marijuana could play in the reelection effort of Sen. Cory Gardner (R-CO).
Sen. Chris Murphy (D-CT) tweeted, “When a foreign leader like Philippines’ Duterte goes off the rails and murders 20,000 in a ‘war on drugs’, only the U.S. had the power and influence to stop the horror. Trump to Duterte: ‘unbelievable job with the drug problem.'”
The House bill to deschedule marijuana and fund programs to repair the harms of the drug war got three new cosponsors for a total of 46.
The House bill to deschedule marijuana got two new cosponsors for a total of 33.
The House bill to require the federal government to study the impact of state marijuana laws got one new cosponsor for a total of 30.
/ STATES
Oregon Gov. Kate Brown (D) directed regulators to implement a six-month ban on flavored vaping products. Regulators said they don’t interpret terpenes derived from marijuana to be a “flavor.”
Pennsylvania’s lieutenant governor tweeted about public support for legalizing marijuana.
Rhode Island regulators enacted a ban on flavored e-cigarettes with an exemption for medical cannabis dispensaries.
California regulators busted an illicit marijuana product manufacturing operation that reportedly seems to be operated by licensed company Kushy Punch.
Indiana’s attorney general criticized a local prosecutor’s move not to pursue low-level marijuana cases.
The U.S. Virgin Islands Senate Committee on Rules and Judiciary approved nominations for the territory’s medical cannabis regulatory board.
South Dakota activists are asking supporters to turn in signatures for marijuana ballot measure petitions by the end of this month in advance of a November 3 deadline.
A Maryland judge barred regulators from issuing medical cannabis business licences through October 17.
Washington, D.C. officials are being sued for allegedly discriminating against an employee for medical cannabis use.
New Mexico regulators began issuing medical cannabis cards to out-of-state patients.
Maine regulators expect to be able to start accepting marijuana business license applications by the end of the year.
Washington State regulators will hold a listen and learn session on draft conceptual marijuana penalty rules on October 31.
Michigan regulators released annual financial statements for the medical cannabis program.
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/ LOCAL
Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s district attorney cheered a federal court ruling on the legality of a proposed safe consumption site for illegal drugs.
Chicago, Illinois’s mayor will hold community events this week about her marijuana zoning proposal.
Marion County, Indiana prosecutors have begun dismissing marijuana-related cases.
A Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania district attorney candidate said she would not prosecute marijuana possession cases.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Australia’s government is funding research on the benefits of medical cannabis for people with cancer.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study concluded that “cannabis use, in particular THC, may decelerate monocyte processes that are implicated in neuroinflammation and cognitive dysfunction.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
A poll of working Canadian adults found that they believe legal marijuana has had no impact on employment-related health and safety incidents (75%), productivity (74%), absenteeism (71%) or quality of work (70%).
The Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board is calling on Pennsylvania lawmakers to legalize marijuana.
The Republican Party of Kentucky tweeted about the state agriculture commissioner’s work to develop “the best hemp program in the US.”
/ BUSINESS
NuWu is the first marijuana social use area to open in Nevada, and is located on tribal land.
Marijuana testing lab CannaSafe found that out of 12 illicit cannabis vape cartridges they tested, nine contained high levels of Vitamin E acetate and all contained pesticides, while none of the 104 legal products they examined had those contaminants.
GenCanna reportedly has 19 liens against it and owes more than $13 million to various companies.
Cannabis company CEOs spoke about how they personally use marijuana.
The New York Times looks at how more farmers are turning to hemp amid a trade war.
/ CULTURE
Actress Zoey Deutch warned people not to smoke Woody Harrelson’s marijuana.
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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
