Newsletter
Cannabis banking bill amended ahead of floor vote (Newsletter: September 20, 2019)
Senate bill blocks D.C. legal marijuana sales; Feds fund cannabinoid & terpene research; Lawmakers press FDA on CBD regulations; AOC banking oppo?
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…
There are now 1,198 cannabis-related bills moving through state legislatures and Congress for 2019 sessions.
Never let a marijuana bill catch you by surprise with exclusive access to Marijuana Moment’s custom-built cannabis legislation tracker for just $25/month.
https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment
/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
Marijuana Moment obtained the full text of changes House leaders are making to marijuana banking legislation to shore up GOP support for an expected floor vote next week. Among other amendments are clarified protections for hemp businesses and insurance coverage.
Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) said he agrees with civil rights groups that Congress passing the cannabis financial services bill would not be enough and that broader reforms are needed.
The Senate Appropriations Committee approved separate bills that would continue to block Washington, D.C. from spending its own local money to legalize marijuana sales and to fund legal hemp and CBD regulatory efforts through the U.S. Department of Agriculture and Food and Drug Administration.
The National Institutes of Health announced $3 million in grant funding for studies examining marijuana components such as cannabinoids and terpenes as painkilling alternatives to opioids.
American Bankers Association, Credit Union National Association, Independent Community Bankers of America, National Bankers Association and 50 state banking associations sent letters urging House leaders to move ahead with a marijuana banking vote.
- But potential opposition from Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) and other progressives who want broader cannabis reform first could jeopardize passage. “She feels strongly that addressing racial justice should be the first priority,” a staffer for the congresswoman told Marijuana Moment.
Reps. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) and James Comer (R-KY) led a bipartisan group of 26 lawmakers who sent a letter urging the Food and Drug Administration to provide a legal pathway for CBD products.
/ FEDERAL
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced that the number of severe lung injuries believed to be associated with vaping has risen to 530.
The Food and Drug Administration launched a criminal investigation on vaping supply chains.
Former Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Scott Gottlieb suggested that marijuana may need to be rescheduled to bolster research and floated the idea that his former agency could issue enforcement discretion guidance on CBD. He added that Congress should “contemplate a federal regime for THC that would enable it to be more easily studied in properly controlled settings for its purported medical uses, while superseding state laws that allow frivolous recreational uses.”
Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), a presidential candidate, met with marijuana business owners in Oakland, California. In a Reddit Ask Me Anything session, he said he will “will end the war on drugs” and treat it “not as a criminal justice challenge but as a public health opportunity. People need help, treatment, support, long term recovery. They don’t need to go to jail or be locked up in prison.”
Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) criticized O’Rourke’s plan to legalize marijuana.
Rep. Ben Ray Lujan (D-NM) tweeted, “Proud to introduce #MarijuanaJusticeReform legislation to address disparities that impact immigrant communities & #DREAMers & end these injustices. Marijuana use should never be grounds to separate families or deport immigrants living here legally.”
The Senate marijuana banking bill got one new cosponsor for a total of 33.
The House bill to require the Department of Veterans Affairs to study medical cannabis got two new cosponsors for a total of 83.
/ STATES
The New Hampshire Senate failed to override Gov. Chris Sununu’s (R) veto of a bill to let patients and caregivers grow medical cannabis. Separately, lawmakers successfully overrode a veto of legislation to remove a requirement of a three-month relationship between doctors and medical marijuana patients.
Virginia’s attorney general met with marijuana reform advocates.
California regulators said that almost all marijuana business will be in the state’s track and trace system by the end of next month.
Utah regulators will hold a public hearing on Tuesday to take input on proposed medical cannabis fees.
Alaska regulators proposed changes to marijuana testing facility ownership rules.
Michigan’s Supreme Court tweeted about efforts to clear marijuana convictions.
A New York senator who has sponsored marijuana legalization legislation said she wants to make sure that there are “not some giant five companies controlling” the market.
—
Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,000 cannabis 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
The Forsyth County, North Carolina district attorney supports legalizing medical cannabis and said he would work to get the state Conference of District Attorneys to back such legislation.
A Chicago, Illinois alderman said he accidentally filed a proposal to allow marijuana social use areas and will withdraw it.
/ INTERNATIONAL
Lawmakers in the Australian Capital Territory could vote on marijuana legalization legislation next week.
Colombian regulators expanded the quota for medical cannabis exports.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study of marijuana strains concluded that “since terpene content is robustly inherited and less influenced by environmental factors, flavour perception could represent a reliable marker to predict the psychoactive effects of cannabis.”
A study found that “LSD significantly impaired executive functions, cognitive flexibility, and working memory…but did not influence the quality of decision-making and risk taking.”
/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS
A poll found that 34% of U.S. adults think cannabis vaping devices have caused severe lung injuries while 58% say that of electronic cigarettes like Juul.
The Chicago Tribune editorial board criticized the mayor’s plan to ban marijuana dispensaries from most of downtown.
/ BUSINESS
MJ Freeway’s medical cannabis tracking software crashed, temporarily preventing sales in Pennsylvania.
Field Trip Ventures Inc. says it is partnering with the University of the West Indies to open “the world’s first legal research and cultivation facility dedicated to psilocybin-producing mushrooms.”
BioTrackTHC’s CEO left the company.
/ CULTURE
Actors Kevin Smith and Jason Mewes are launching a line of marijuana strains.
The daughter of late actor Dennis Hopper launched a marijuana brand in his name, something he requested as a dying wish.
A Simpsons writer tweeted about a marijuana joke that got cut from the “Who Shot Mr. Burns?” episode.
Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.
