Newsletter
NJ lawmakers advance cannabis decrim bill (Newsletter: May 21, 2019)
McConnell gives hemp history lesson on Senate floor; POTUS candidate de Blasio’s marijuana record; Study: CA medical cannabis reduced gun suicides
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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW
A New Jersey Assembly committee approved a bill to decriminalize marijuana. Meanwhile, legislation to expand the state’s medical cannabis program and provide for expungements of prior convictions also advanced.
Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) gave a history lesson on hemp in a floor speech while introducing a bill to raise the legal age for tobacco purchases to 21.
- “As usual, George Washington knew what he was doing. Industrial hemp is making a comeback today.”
Marijuana Moment’s latest presidential candidate overview takes an in-depth look at the cannabis policy record of New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio (D).
A study found that California’s “rates of total suicide and gun suicide dropped significantly” after the state legalized medical cannabis in 1996.
/ FEDERAL
A Nebraska-based Drug Enforcement Administration agent will give a public presentation meant to separate “what is fact and what is fiction” about medical cannabis on Wednesday.
Former Labor Secretary Robert Reich tweeted, “The federal prohibition on marijuana has been a disaster. For decades, millions of Americans have been locked up and billions of dollars have been wasted. It’s also deepened racial and economic inequality. We must end this nonsensical prohibition.”
Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), a presidential candidate, said during a meeting with marijuana industry representatives that she would “use the Small Business Administration to help women and minority-owned businesses get the financial help they need in order to compete with the wealthier, established players.”
Sen. Kamala Harris (D-CA), a presidential candidate, tweeted, “Here’s the problem with how marijuana legalization is happening in the U.S. right now: some are benefiting from a growing industry while others continue to face legal consequences. That’s why Congress must legalize marijuana at the federal level.”
Rep. Steve Cohen (D-TN) tweeted, “The Drug War has disproportionally harmed communities of color; this should be addressed in our effort to legalize #cannabis. I’m proud to cosponsor the Marijuana Justice Act, which would invest in communities most affected by the war on drugs.”
Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) tweeted about marijuana businesses being robbed and said, “That’s unacceptable for these businesses and employees and for our communities. It’s time for Congress to pass #SAFEBanking to get cash off our streets and into the banking system.”
Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) and former Rep. Joe Crowley (D-NY) joined the advisory board of cannabis company Northern Swan.
/ STATES
Kansas Gov. Laura Kelly (D) signed a bill allowing an affirmative defense for possession of CBD medical cannabis oils.
New Mexico Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham (D) posted a Twitter thread about hemp’s economic benefits. Her office also sent a press release about the state Economic Development Department’s pledge of more than $2 million in assistance to a hemp company.
Arkansas Gov. Asa Hutchinson (R) spoke about his opposition to legalizing marijuana.
Washington, D.C. Mayor Muriel Bowser (D) tweeted, “It’s time to legalize marijuana. For years, marijuana possession has been a pipeline to prison for people of color. We must replace that pipeline with jobs, equity, and pathways to prosperity.”
Connecticut’s House majority leader said that lawmakers are discussing the idea of putting marijuana legalization on the ballot for voters to decide.
West Virginia lawmakers approved a bill to allow vertical integration in the medical cannabis industry and to raise caps on dispensary licenses, among other changes.
The California Senate approved a bill to shield medical cannabis compassion programs from taxes.
The Colorado Supreme Court ruled that an alert from a drug-sniffing dog trained to identify marijuana cannot be used to establish probable cause for a search. Separately, the Department of Transportation is hosting an open house to receive feedback about ad concepts aimed at deterring cannabis-impaired driving.
The Pennsylvania Supreme Court denied an appeal of a lower court’s ruling mandating that the Health Department provide information about the panel that scores applications for medical cannabis business licenses, which was requested through a public records law.
The Minnesota Court of Appeals rejected a request from two ex-employees of Vireo to dismiss criminal charges alleging that they illegally smuggled medical cannabis from the company’s facility there to New York.
Kentucky Democratic gubernatorial candidate Adam Edelen tweeted, “In Kentucky, 11,000 people were convicted for possession of small amounts of marijuana lasts year alone. Taxpayers footed a 50 million dollar bill for it. We’re going to legalize medical marijuana and decriminalize small amounts for personal use.”
An Alabama senator who voted against a medical cannabis bill said that patients who need marijuana should just get it from the illegal market.
North Dakota activists filed a proposed marijuana legalization ballot measure.
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/ LOCAL
The mayor of Commerce, California and City Council members were reportedly involved in a fist fight following a heated discussion about legal marijuana sales.
The Cincinnati, Ohio City Council is expected to vote on a marijuana decriminalization proposal on Wednesday.
The Sarasota, Florida City Commission is expected to vote on a marijuana decriminalization proposal next month.
The New Yorker looks at how marijuana legalization has changed Humboldt County, California.
/ INTERNATIONAL
The UK House of Commons debated medical cannabis.
German regulators announced the final results of its medical cannabis cultivation license awarding process.
Ireland’s health minister said the government has “no plans” to legalize marijuana.
/ ADVOCACY
The Drug Policy Alliance is closing its offices in Colorado and New Jersey and is laying off staff in New Mexico.
The Center for American Progress issued a report calling for marijuana tax revenue to be used to fund the creation of public sector jobs in low-income communities of color that have been targeted by drug enforcement.
Koch-funded advocacy organizations are restructuring and rebranding, and some resources are being be put into studying marijuana reform.
/ SCIENCE & HEALTH
A study of Washington State cannabis enforcement found that “marijuana arrest rates among both African American and White adults decreased significantly with legalization of possession, and stayed at a dramatically lower rate after the marijuana retail market opened” but that “relative disparities in marijuana arrest rates for African Americans increased for those of legal age, and remained unchanged for younger adults.”
A study concluded that “pairwise combinations of THC and CBN lead to a synergistic neuroprotective interaction” and that “non-psychoactive cannabinoids are potential lead drug candidates for [Alzheimer’s disease] and other neurodegenerative diseases.”
/ OPINION & ANALYSIS
A poll found that Illinois voters support legalizing marijuana, 60%-35%.
The Colorado Springs Gazette editorial board criticized Gov. Jared Polis (D) for appointing cannabis industry veteran Ean Seeb as his marijuana advisor.
/ BUSINESS
CBD company Craft 1861 is sponsoring an Indy 500 team.
/ CULTURE
The National Football League and NFL Players Association agreed to study the use of marijuana in pain management.
Former basketball player Lamar Odom revealed that he once used a fake penis to pass a drug test for the U.S. Olympic basketball team after “smoking weed every day that summer.”
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Photo courtesy of Chris Wallis // Side Pocket Images.
