May 13, 2020
Most People In Recreational Marijuana States Believe Legalization Is A Success, Poll Finds
People who live in states that have legalized marijuana for adult use broadly feel that the policy has been a success, according to a new poll. A majority of people from eight states that were surveyed said the programs are working well. And in Maine, which legalized cannabis in 2016 but still doesn’t have any adult-use retail shops open, people still said the law is more of a success than a failure by a greater than two-to-one plurality. YouGov asked more than 32,000 people the following question: “In the states that have decided to allow recreational marijuana use, do you think the legislation has been a success or a failure?” They were given five options: “Success only, more of a success than a failure, more of a failure than a success, failure only or don’t know.” Here’s a breakdown of percentages of people in legal states who said the policy has been a success compared to a failure: Colorado (71-17 percent) Oregon (69-20 percent) Massachusetts (67-15 percent) Washington (65-18 percent) Nevada (64-17 percent) California (59-20 percent) Illinois (59-17 percent) Michigan (56-20 percent) Maine (47-20 percent) In Colorado, one of the first states to legalize in 2012, about a quarter of respondents (26 percent) said the system has been a success only, whereas 45 percent said it was more of a success than failure. The survey was conducted from April 17-20. The research firm said that it did not get a reportable state-level sample size for Alaska or Vermont, which have also enacted legalization laws, and so they were not included in the new analysis.
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May 11, 2020
Top Vermont lawmaker says legal marijuana sales bill will be taken up after coronavirus response
A top lawmaker in Vermont says the Legislature will reconsider a bill to legalize marijuana sales later this year, though she feels lawmakers and the administration are appropriately focused on responding to the coronavirus pandemic for now. House Speaker Mitzi Johnson was pressed Thursday about why state leaders aren’t giving more attention to the pending tax-and-regulate legislation given the revenue the state could derive and the jobs that could be created from legal cannabis sales. The speaker told Vermont Public Radio that after both chambers approved a bill to provide for retail sales this session, one of her last acts before leaving the State House to work remotely was appointing members of a conference committee to resolve differences between the House and Senate versions. That said, “our attention, I believe rightly, has been entirely on the COVID crisis and making sure that we get Vermonters through this very intense desperate period,” she stated. “This issue is still before us. We will be talking about it before the year ends,” Johnson said of the marijuana bill. “But I think our energy has been where it needs to be, which is getting Vermonters through this crisis.” Vermont legalized the possession and cultivation of marijuana through the Legislature in 2018, but the current law does not include a sales component. The speaker added that while she appreciated the argument that creating a commercial cannabis market could produce revenue and jobs for the state, the costs of implementing the program and the amount of time it would take to roll out a legal sales system would mean Vermont stands to lose money and add to the deficit for the first three years after legalization’s enactment.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture last week approved hemp production plans for Massachusetts, and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and the Pala Band of Mission Indians. It marks the 17th state plan to be approved by the agency; the total of approved tribal plans stands at 25. The USDA indicated in a press release that it “continues to receive and review hemp production plans from states and Indian tribes.” Under Massachusetts hemp law, the crop can be produced for fiber, seed, hemp seed oil, seed for cultivation, seed meal and seed oil, and CBD – so long as the crop is certified by the state Department of Agricultural Resources. Currently, however, Massachusetts does not allow some CBD products to be sold in the state, including food products, products containing hemp as a dietary supplement, animal feed containing the cannabinoid, CBD flower, or products making medical claims. Many of those products are also banned federally. Late last month, the Food and Drug Administration sent warnings to two CBD companies over their claims that CBD is efficacious for treating opioid addiction. Massachusetts Department of Agricultural Resources spokesperson Katie Gronendyke told Marijuana Moment that since 2018, the state has “licensed more than 100 entities and produced 250 acres of certified industrial hemp.”
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May 10, 2020
Huge cannabis farm worth £1 million and containing hundreds of plants has been discovered by police
A huge cannabis farm worth £1 million has been uncovered by police. Police found the cannabis farm of more than 500 plants at a house in Bury on Saturday after receiving reports from residents. Almost 200 plants were being kept in the attic alone, Prestwich neighbourhood officers discovered. Altogether the stash is estimated to be worth up to £1 million, says Greater Manchester Police. A man was detained and arrested by police on suspicion of cultivating cannabis - and was also 'of interest to immigration authorities', according to the police. He was interviewed but has since been released under investigation. Police say the set-up inside the house was 'extremely dangerous' as the electrics had been directly connected to the National Grid. The garden at the property had to be dug up by Electricity North West in order to cut off the supply. The farm and its equipment was destroyed by police after it was uncovered and the cannabis will now be incinerated. Bury police quipped 'cue the cannabis legalisation debate' after they shared pictures showing the industrial-scale farm.
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May 9, 2020
Mass. cannabis executives ‘look forward to safely reopening’ after meeting with governor’s advisory board
A group of Massachusetts cannabis industry representatives on Saturday has made its pitch to a reopening advisory board appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker. The Commonwealth Dispensary Association, among those at the meeting, says it has a COVID-19 safety plan that incorporates national best practices and input from all its 38 members. In addition to the CDA, industry representatives that met with the 17-member advisory board on Saturday morning were Joseph Lusardi, the CEO of Curaleaf, Amanda Rositano, the president of NETA, Jay Youmans, a principal at Smith, Costello & Crawford and Kobie Evans, a co-founder of Pure Oasis in Boston, the first economic empowerment applicant to open in the state. “We are greatly appreciative to the Lieutenant Governor [Karyn Polito], Secretary [of Housing and Economic Development Mike Kennealy], and the advisory board for their time and service,” said David Torrisi, the president of the CDA, in a statement on Saturday afternoon. “We look forward to safely reopening the Massachusetts economy in close collaboration with the Administration.” Recreational marijuana shops have been closed since March 24 after being deemed non-essential by Baker. Massachusetts is the only state with legal marijuana that has shut down recreational businesses during the pandemic. Medical marijuana, however, was deemed essential. The CDA represents 80% of the state’s medical and adult-use industry, according to the statement. In the time since recreational marijuana stores have been closed, the CCC has reported a spike in new registrations of medical patients. That increase in medical patients led to concern about the medical supply chain. The commission last month decided to allow the recreational market to support the medical market with wholesale transfers.
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Montana activists announced on Thursday that they will proceed with a signature gathering drive for a marijuana legalization initiative, and they laid out multiple internal policies that will be in place to protect circulators and the public during the coronavirus pandemic. New Approach Montana is behind two proposed ballot measures: one statutory initiative to establish a regulated cannabis market for adult use as well as a constitutional amendment stipulating that only those 21 and older can participate in the market. Faced with a stay-at-home order and social distancing requirements, the campaign filed a lawsuit imploring a court to allow them to collect signatures digitally. It also requested an extension of the deadline to submit petitions. But after a judge dismissed that case last month—and because the state is gradually reopening—the group said it is moving ahead with plans to collect signatures in person, albeit under strict policies to mitigate the risk of spreading the virus. “As our state reopens for business, we must also reopen for democracy,” Pepper Petersen, political director for New Approach Montana, said in a press release. “Our signature drive will allow Montana voters to exercise their constitutional right to a ballot initiative in a safe and responsible way.” Circulators must adhere to a number of requirements, including a mandate to wear disposal gloves and use single-use wrapped pens, discarding them after each signature. The must wear masks at all times, except on breaks. Hand sanitizer and disinfecting wipes will be provided to them. They must maintain six feet of distance from the public, and tables will be set up so that they can witness people signing without getting close. They will also be issued disposable clear plastic bags to carry their supplies in, while backbacks and other reusable storage solutions will not be allowed.
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May 8, 2020
USDA approves hemp plan for Massachusetts
The US Department of Agriculture announced Thursday that it approved Massachusetts’ hemp regulatory plan, as well as the plans for five more tribal proposals. Massachusetts is the 17th state to have its plan federally accepted. The Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, the Winnebago Tribe of Nebraska, Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes, Rosebud Sioux Tribe, and the Pala Band of Mission Indians also had their plans newly accepted. The USDA has been signing off on hemp plans on a rolling basis since the crop and its derivatives were federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill. Last month, Florida and Kansas joined the list of states where proposed regulations for hemp were approved. The department said in a new notice that it “continues to receive and review hemp production plans from states and Indian tribes.” While the agency released an interim final rule for a domestic hemp production program last year, industry stakeholders and lawmakers have expressed concerns about certain policies it views as excessively restrictive. The USDA announced in February that it will temporarily lift two provisions that the industry viewed as problematic. Those policies primarily concern testing and disposal requirements. The department declined to revise the THC limit, however, arguing that it’s a statutory matter that can’t be dealt with administratively. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue has said on several occasions that the Drug Enforcement Administration influenced certain rules, adding that the narcotics agency wasn’t pleased with the overall legalization of hemp. Meanwhile, the Food and Drug Administration is still in the process of developing regulations for CBD. It sent an update on its progress to Congress in March, explaining that the agency is actively exploring pathways to allow for the marketing of the cannabis compound as a dietary supplement and is developing enforcement discretion guidance.
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A group of investors says a Canadian cannabis producer misled them when it said it was acquiring a UK-based agricultural company that could “almost immediately” start exporting hemp and CBD products to the European Union. Afederal lawsuit filed in New York Thursday alleges that the representations Sundial Growers, Inc. made on January 2019 were “grossly exaggerated and materially misleading.” The lawsuit filed on behalf of a handful of investment groups says Calgary, Alberta-based Sundial told investors the company it was acquiring, Bridge Farm, had a “hemp cultivation license” that would allow them to be “first to market” in exporting to the EU, thus giving them a “stronghold in Europe’s nascent cannabis market.” Based on those representations, the plaintiffs invested more than $4 million in Sundial before its initial public offering. But, the lawsuit says, it turned out Bridge Farm did not have the necessary licenses to cultivate or export hemp and CBD to the EU. Sundial trades on the Nasdaq as SNDL. The lawsuit seeks monetary damages to be determined by a jury, “but no less than $4 million.”
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For Massachusetts Cannabis Control Commission Chairman Steven Hoffman, the COVID-19 pandemic has brought several concerns relating to the marijuana industry: first, the health and safety of employees, but also the long-term viability of small businesses that were just getting started. “These are relatively new businesses, many of them are owned and operated by new and not particularly well-financed entrepreneurs,” said Hoffman, who is among the panelists speaking during a webinar being hosted by NJ Cannabis Insider and Advance 360 and titled “Cannabis and COVID-19: Where Does America Go From Here? presented by Duane Morris.” At the May 13 event, the conversation will focus on medical marijuana, legalization, and the hemp and CBD industries during the coronavirus pandemic, while also looking ahead at the Nov. 3 national elections. Audience members will be able to submit questions ahead of the event, which starts at 1 p.m., and can purchase tickets, which cost $8.50, at advance360.com/cannabis-insider-live. As chair of the CCC, Hoffman and other Massachusetts marijuana regulators have been flexible as the pandemic has stretched on. The commission itself is working remotely. Since March, the commission has made changes to try and ease the burden on cannabis businesses and medical patients, allowing medical dispensaries to offer curbside pickup, allowing patients to renew their registration via telehealth methods and allowing the recreational market to support the medical market via wholesale transfers. In Massachusetts, recreational marijuana businesses have not been deemed essential business by Gov. Charlie Baker and have been forced to close while medical dispensaries can still operate. Massachusetts is the only state with legal marijuana that has shut down recreational stores.
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Top officials at the independent agency that oversees the Massachusetts marijuana industry say they’re confident they can safely reopen recreational pot stores if Governor Charlie Baker reverses his emergency order forcing the businesses to close amid the coronavirus pandemic. Cannabis Control Commission chairman Steve Hoffman told reporters after the agency’s monthly meeting Thursday that he believes Massachusetts marijuana shops can operate safely by employing curbside pickup, appointment-only shopping, and other similar measures adopted by retailers that have remained open (including medical marijuana dispensaries overseen by the commission). Hoffman said he “wants it known” that the commission is prepared to monitor the facilities and enforce state rules, including around social distancing, should they reopen. And in his strongest comments yet on the controversial cannabis shutdown, he noted that Massachusetts is the only state where marijuana is legal to have completely closed its recreational (or “adult-use”) industry. Marijuana firms are ineligible for federal bailouts, because the drug remains illegal under US law. “It is unfair that Massachusetts adult-use operators are the only ones that are shut down across the country and are not eligible for any kind of federal assistance,” Hoffman told reporters during a virtual press conference. “I have no concerns whatsoever that we can operate this business safely. I think we’ve demonstrated that we can do so on the medical side of the business... [and] I think there’s absolutely no reason we can’t do exactly the same thing on the adult-use side.”
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