Newsletter
Feds issue trademark for ‘psilocybin’ (Newsletter: January 21, 2020)
USVI gov pushes legal marijuana in annual speech; Idaho senator files drug decrim bill; White House official voices cannabis concerns
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
U.S. Virgin Islands Gov. Albert Bryan Jr. (D) pushed lawmakers to legalize marijuana in his State of the Territory speech, saying that the move will help fund a struggling government employees retirement fund.
The U.S. Patent and Trademark Office awarded a company a trademark for the word “psilocybin,” and some decriminalization advocates are not happy about it.
An Idaho senator filed a bill to decriminalize possession of currently illegal drugs.
/ FEDERAL
Office of National Drug Control Policy Director James Carroll discussed his opposition to safe consumption sites for illegal drugs and spoke about the potential harms of marijuana.
A Drug Enforcement Administration official said the agency won’t “turn our head away from” marijuana just because it is legalized under state law.
Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang said that the last time he smoked marijuana was “a past life.” (Around 1:27:55 into the linked video.)
Sen. Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), a presidential candidate, said you’d “have to go back to college days” when asked about the last time she smoked marijuana. (Around 3:55:15 into the linked video.)
Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a presidential candidate, tweeted, “Marijuana must be legalized. All our people imprisoned because of it must be returned home to their families and their records expunged.”
Sen. Ed Markey (D-MA) tweeted, “We owe a national apology to the Black men and women who were targeted, harassed, and incarcerated in the failed war on drugs.” He also tweeted, “It is up to us to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. with action — to march for environmental justice, to demand equal pay for our Black brothers and sisters, and to fight for justice for those incarcerated in the failed war on drugs.”
California Democratic congressional candidate Ben Emard tweeted, “To bring the US into the 21st century, we must federally legalize the sale and use of cannabis. To right the wrongs of the past, we must expunge criminal records, release those currently incarcerated, and create equity programs to repay impacted communities.”
/ STATES
Missouri Gov. Mike Parson (R) said he thinks the state will consider legalizing marijuana at some point but that he’s focused on implementing medical cannabis right now.
New York’s lieutenant governor said that legalizing marijuana is an opportunity to help raise revenues in the budget but also to correct the injustices of the criminal justice system. Meanwhile, the chairman of the Senate Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Committee is now on board with legalizing cannabis.
Twenty-seven West Virginia delegates are calling on the state Department of Commerce to study the economic impact of legalizing marijuana.
The Rhode Island House Judiciary Committee will hold a hearing on legislation to change medical cannabis regulations on Tuesday.
Michigan regulators removed a series of public service announcements videos that advocates had criticized as perpetuating anti-marijuana stereotypes.
Oregon regulators approved marijuana violation stipulated settlement agreements and adopted rules changes.
Arizona regulators reported that 41% of hemp plants tested have excessive THC levels.
California regulators are hosting a series of cannabis permitting workshops this month and next month.
Arkansas regulators rejected the sale of two medical cannabis licenses.
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/ INTERNATIONAL
A candidate for leadership of the UK Labour Party said there needs to be a “national discussion about the war on drugs.”
Italian regulators set THC limits for hemp foods.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A review concluded that “there is currently encouraging, albeit embryonic, evidence for medicinal cannabis in the treatment of a range of psychiatric disorders.”
A study found that “cannabinoids can promote progression of [human papilloma virus] positive [neck squamous cell carcinoma] through p38 MAPK pathway activation.”
/ BUSINESS
FSD Pharma Inc. is scheduled to ring the Nasdaq Stock Market opening bell on Wednesday.
Surterra Wellness stopped making most medical cannabis deliveries.
Wellcana Group plans to significantly expand its Louisiana medical cannabis operation.
/ CULTURE
Actress Gwyneth Paltrow spoke about an “emotional” experience she had on MDMA.
A UFC vice president spoke with former boxer Mike Tyson about efforts to remove marijuana from state athletic commissions’ lists of banned substances.
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