May 19, 2020
34 Bipartisan Attorneys General Tell Congress To Pass Marijuana Banking As Part Of Coronavirus Bill
A bipartisan coalition of 34 state and territory attorneys general are urging Congress to pass coronavirus relief legislation that includes language protecting banks that service marijuana businesses from being penalized by federal regulators. The case they lay out runs directly counter to seemingly coordinated statements by GOP lawmakers in opposition to the banking provision’s inclusion in legislation the Democratic-led House passed on Friday. In a letter to House and Senate leadership on Tuesday, the top state law enforcement officials said there are three main reasons that providing the cannabis industry with banking access is especially necessary during the pandemic. First, the public safety threat of operating on a largely cash-only basis has been exacerbated amid the crisis. Second, large cash transactions “places law enforcement, tax regulators, consumers, and patients at heightened risk of exposure to the virus.” Third, access to financial institutions would make it easier to collect tax revenue from marijuana sales, which is particularly needed to offset economic shortfalls due to the health crisis.
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In a lackluster finish Sunday night to Minnesota’s scheduled legislative session, Senate Republicans voted to kill provision the House passed a day earlier that would have allowed medical marijuana patients to purchase raw, whole-plant forms of cannabis. The vote came as lawmakers left piles of unfinished business on the table ahead of an end-of-session deadline on Monday. Legislative leaders indicated they’ll be back for a special session June 12, but Senate Majority Leader Paul E. Gazelka (R) said that lawmakers will likely focus on bills “just for COVID-19.” In other words, patients and medical marijuana advocates will probably have to wait until this fall for another chance to overturn the state’s ban on marijuana flower. “Next year!” tweeted state Sen. Karla Bigham (DFL). “We got you!” Since Minnesota’s medical marijuana program launched in 2015, the state has banned sales of raw cannabis flower, allowing access to only extracts in the form of liquids, pills and vaporized oils. While supporters of the whole-plant ban say it’s a necessary step to prevent smoking, medical marijuana advocates argue the policy has driven up costs while limiting treatment options. An amendment to a health care omnibus bill approved by the House of Representatives on Saturday would have removed the prohibition on whole plant marijuana and specifically allowed for “raw cannabis.” But around noon on Sunday, the Senate voted to table that version of the omnibus bill after pushback from Senate Republicans. Hours later, senators passed a separate omnibus bill with the medical marijuana provision removed.
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There is one bright spot in the economy: marijuana sales. In April, Oregon saw $89 million in legal marijuana sales. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission reports marijuana sales were up 45% in April, compared to last year, making April 2020 the largest month on record for the state. Proponents believe the coronavirus pandemic could be the catalyst for other states and the federal government to legalize marijuana because it would bring tax revenue, create jobs and give the economy a much-needed shot in the arm. Oregon’s annual tax revenue from recreational marijuana sales exceeds $100 million. The state collects 17% tax on retail cannabis sales, while counties or cities can apply a 3% tax. Legal pot has provided a steady stream of tax revenue when other sources like personal income or state lottery revenues are less predictable due to the struggling economy and stay-at-home orders. Many cannabis dispensaries were deemed ‘esssential’ in many states, including Oregon, allowing them to remain open during government restrictions. “There’s a reason why over 25 states have declared marijuana dispensaries to be essential services. These are things people rely on,” explained Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. While many businesses have reduced their workforce during the pandemic, proponents say legalizing pot nationwide could help create new jobs for many Americans. “Up until March there were almost a quarter-million people who worked in the industry,” said Blumenauer, a long-time advocate for marijuana legalization. Congress is already considering some reform, including marijuana banking laws.
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May 19, 2020
Why Marijuana Legalization Hasn’t Ended Reefer Madness: The Los Angeles “Hash Oil Factory” That Isn’t
The cause of the enormous explosion and fire that destroyed a downtown Los Angeles building on Saturday evening and sent 12 firefighters to the hospital is not yet known. As for the effects, they were immediate, decisive — and entirely predictable. A culprit was identified even before arson investigators’ work could begun. The culprit, as initial media reports suggested, was cannabis, a theory that anti-legalization zealots amplified into a howl by Monday. By extension, that means the ongoing social experiment of marijuana legalization is the accomplice, and scenes like Saturday’s carnage in LA the logical conclusion for any other city or state pondering legal weed. This all sounds familiar, because it is. And though it may be weeks or longer before arson investigators piece together the actual cause, the lesson for drug-policy reform advocates and anyone in the cannabis industry is that baked-in anti-drug biases will take much longer than that to fade away — and you can do everything right and still suffer a setback in the information wars.
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May 19, 2020
34 Bipartisan Attorneys General Tell Congress To Pass Marijuana Banking As Part Of Coronavirus Bill
A bipartisan coalition of 34 state and territory attorneys general are urging Congress to pass coronavirus relief legislation that includes language protecting banks that service marijuana businesses from being penalized by federal regulators. The case they lay out runs directly counter to seemingly coordinated statements by GOP lawmakers in opposition to the banking provision’s inclusion in legislation the Democratic-led House passed on Friday. In a letter to House and Senate leadership on Tuesday, the top state law enforcement officials said there are three main reasons that providing the cannabis industry with banking access is especially necessary during the pandemic. First, the public safety threat of operating on a largely cash-only basis has been exacerbated amid the crisis. Second, large cash transactions “places law enforcement, tax regulators, consumers, and patients at heightened risk of exposure to the virus.” Third, access to financial institutions would make it easier to collect tax revenue from marijuana sales, which is particularly needed to offset economic shortfalls due to the health crisis.
Learn more
In a lackluster finish Sunday night to Minnesota’s scheduled legislative session, Senate Republicans voted to kill provision the House passed a day earlier that would have allowed medical marijuana patients to purchase raw, whole-plant forms of cannabis. The vote came as lawmakers left piles of unfinished business on the table ahead of an end-of-session deadline on Monday. Legislative leaders indicated they’ll be back for a special session June 12, but Senate Majority Leader Paul E. Gazelka (R) said that lawmakers will likely focus on bills “just for COVID-19.” In other words, patients and medical marijuana advocates will probably have to wait until this fall for another chance to overturn the state’s ban on marijuana flower. “Next year!” tweeted state Sen. Karla Bigham (DFL). “We got you!” Since Minnesota’s medical marijuana program launched in 2015, the state has banned sales of raw cannabis flower, allowing access to only extracts in the form of liquids, pills and vaporized oils. While supporters of the whole-plant ban say it’s a necessary step to prevent smoking, medical marijuana advocates argue the policy has driven up costs while limiting treatment options. An amendment to a health care omnibus bill approved by the House of Representatives on Saturday would have removed the prohibition on whole plant marijuana and specifically allowed for “raw cannabis.” But around noon on Sunday, the Senate voted to table that version of the omnibus bill after pushback from Senate Republicans. Hours later, senators passed a separate omnibus bill with the medical marijuana provision removed.
Learn more
There is one bright spot in the economy: marijuana sales. In April, Oregon saw $89 million in legal marijuana sales. The Oregon Liquor Control Commission reports marijuana sales were up 45% in April, compared to last year, making April 2020 the largest month on record for the state. Proponents believe the coronavirus pandemic could be the catalyst for other states and the federal government to legalize marijuana because it would bring tax revenue, create jobs and give the economy a much-needed shot in the arm. Oregon’s annual tax revenue from recreational marijuana sales exceeds $100 million. The state collects 17% tax on retail cannabis sales, while counties or cities can apply a 3% tax. Legal pot has provided a steady stream of tax revenue when other sources like personal income or state lottery revenues are less predictable due to the struggling economy and stay-at-home orders. Many cannabis dispensaries were deemed ‘esssential’ in many states, including Oregon, allowing them to remain open during government restrictions. “There’s a reason why over 25 states have declared marijuana dispensaries to be essential services. These are things people rely on,” explained Rep. Earl Blumenauer, D-Ore. While many businesses have reduced their workforce during the pandemic, proponents say legalizing pot nationwide could help create new jobs for many Americans. “Up until March there were almost a quarter-million people who worked in the industry,” said Blumenauer, a long-time advocate for marijuana legalization. Congress is already considering some reform, including marijuana banking laws.
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May 18, 2020
Massachusetts reopening plan for recreational marijuana calls for curbside delivery to start May 25
After being shuttered during the COVID-19 pandemic, Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker announced recreational marijuana stores can reopen on May 25 for curbside delivery only as part of a comprehensive statewide reopening plan unveiled Monday. Massachusetts is the only state with legal marijuana that ordered adult-use stores to close during the pandemic. Shops have been shut down since March 24, when Baker issued an order requiring businesses considered non-essential to cease operations in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, the disease caused by the new coronavirus. Even though they’ll be able to sell marijuana again, the financial losses are significant for the state’s small cannabis companies. Many of the state’s marijuana businesses have laid off or furloughed workers during the pandemic. Baker said in March that he believed recreational stores staying open would attract customers from outside of Massachusetts to drive in and purchase marijuana. Though stores were already implementing social distancing and other health and safety measures, and though some argued that the majority of customers come from within miles of the store, Baker did not budge. While the reopening of stores will bring a sigh of relief, marijuana businesses have struggled during the pandemic like just about every other industry. But, unlike many other industries, cannabis businesses are not eligible for federal relief through the Paycheck Protection Program because marijuana remains illegal on the federal level. Through the pandemic, Cannabis Control Commission Chairman Steven Hoffman has said the recreational market could be operated safely, pointing to the continued operation of the medical market as an example.
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May 18, 2020
Louisiana House Approves Medical Marijuana For Any Debilitating Condition, Along With Delivery Services
The Louisiana House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved bills on Friday to significantly expand the state’s medical cannabis program by bringing in patients with more conditions and allowing dispensaries to deliver marijuana products directly to those patients’ homes. This comes about a week after the Health and Welfare Committee advanced both pieces of legislation, in addition to several other cannabis expansion bills that were filed as backups in case the chamber declined to pass this broader version, which will let doctors issue recommendations for any debilitating condition rather than a short list of specific maladies as is the case under current law. Both bills approved by the House were sponsored by Rep. Larry Bagley (R). His medical condition expansion bill passed 76-15 and the delivery legislation was approved 80-15. The expansion legislation as originally drafted would have simply added traumatic brain injuries and concussions to the list of conditions that qualify a patient for a marijuana recommendation. But it was amended in committee to add several other conditions as well as language stipulating that cannabis can be recommended for any condition that a physician “considers debilitating to an individual patient.” “It’s something that deserves to be done,” Bagley told Marijuana Moment in a phone interview after the floor votes. “I knew that it was bipartisan. I never thought it had a chance to fail unless I messed up somewhere in the presentation.” “I think what it’s going to mean is, people that have physical problems, they will be able to have an alternative to opioids,” he said. “I know we have a terrible addiction here in Louisiana with the opioid epidemic. Opioids can kill you. I don’t think anybody’s ever died from medical marijuana. It’s just a safety issue.” “People claim that [cannabis is] a lifesaver that has done all sorts of things. I can’t refute any of that,” he added. “Everybody has the right to do that. That’s why we live in America. I’m pretty excited about the bill and I hope it does a lot of good.” Currently in Louisiana, a list of 14 conditions can qualify a patient for cannabis. That includes cancer, epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease and severe muscle spasms.
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Colorado hotel room rentals increased considerably after the state began legal marijuana sales, a newly published study reveals. Washington State also saw increases in tourism after legalization, though the effect there was more modest. The two states were the first in the U.S. to allow adult-use cannabis through laws approved by voters in 2012. By comparing hotel room rentals in Colorado and Washington to states that did not change their legal status of marijuana from 2011 through 2015, researchers found that legalization coincided with a significant influx of tourists and a rise in hotel revenue. The impact was even more pronounced after the start of retail sales. In both states, personal possession of marijuana was permitted for a period of time before legal sales began, and each change coincided with increases in tourism. In Colorado, legalizing possession led to monthly hotel booking increases of 2.5 percent to 4 percent, depending on the modeling method used. Once retail stores opened, the state saw bookings increase by 6 percent to 7.2 percent.
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