A cannabis legalization bill proposed in Mexico would permit possession and cultivation for people aged 18-and-older, tax sales at 12 percent, allow public consumption, cap personal possession at 1 ounce, and decriminalize possession up to 200 grams, according to a Bezinga report. The bill allows personal cultivation up to 20 plants – which must be registered with the government – as long as the total yield doesn’t exceed 480 grams per year. Medical patients would be allowed to grow an additional 20 plants. Hemp and CBD would be exempt from regulations that apply to THC products. Sen. Julio Ramón Menchaca Salaza of the ruling Morena party said the measure would allow cannabis to play a role in the nation’s economic recovery from the coronavirus pandemic. In 2015, Mexico’s Supreme Court ruled that citizens should be allowed to grow and consume the plant freely, and 2018, the court took the ruling a step further, declaring that cannabis prohibition in the nation was unconstitutional. Both decisions set the stage for broad legalization and draft legislation was unveiled last October. That bill did not allow public use, capped personal cultivation at four plants, and did not outline a tax structure. President Andrés Manuel López Obrador said following his election in 2018 that he would not interfere with the Supreme Court decisions and expressed support for broad legalization on the campaign trail. The 2018 Supreme Court ruling set a deadline for Congress to enact the reforms but it has been delayed several times, according to Benzinga. If the law is approved – as is eventually required under the Supreme Court ruling – Mexico would be the third country, joining Canada and Uruguay, to allow cannabis possession, use, and sales.
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If CBD companies want to keep the FDA and the FTC off their backs, they should not make any medical claims, expressed or implied, at least until the FDA forges a legal regulatory path for the sale and marketing of CBD products. Until then, CBD companies should (1) consult with an attorney if they are unsure as to whether their marketing materials contain statements that could be construed as medical claims and (2) keep in mind Bureau of Consumer Protection Director Andrew Smith’s words:
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April 29, 2020
Kansas Governor Says Medical Marijuana Still On The Table In 2020 Despite Coronavirus
The governor of Kansas says that medical cannabis legalization remains a legislative possibility this session despite lawmakers temporarily disbanding amid the coronavirus pandemic. In an interview published by KSNT on Wednesday, Gov. Laura Kelly (D) was asked about various policy proposals and noted that there’s “been some discussion about legalizing medical marijuana.” “I think that discussion continues and I think if it actually was able to come to a vote, I think that it probably would pass the legislature,” she said, adding that “I think the issue of recreational marijuana is still not on the table.” According to a writeup by the local news outlet, Kelly also said that the “possibility of medicaid expansion still exists this session as well as legalizing medical marijuana in Kansas.” The governor said earlier this year that legalizing marijuana for medical use is a priority, but she also said she’d be inclined to sign a bill to legalize recreational cannabis in the event lawmakers sent one to her desk. According to a poll released late last year, Kelly would have the support of a majority of residents (63 percent) if she enacted that broad policy change. Last year, a special legislative commission issued recommendations in support of establishing a limited medical marijuana program that would allow patients to access products, though they advised that patients shouldn’t be able access smokable products. If the legislature were to take up medical cannabis legalization this year, that would mark a notable victory for the reform movement at a time when campaigns are shutting down or suspending signature gathering due to stay-at-home orders and social distancing requirements. It’s not clear at this point when lawmakers would be able to reconvene to take up legislation, though the governor said they will have to come back “in the near future.” Meanwhile, the governor of the U.S. Virgin Islands is pushing for legalization during the health crisis, announcing that he would be introducing a revised reform bill this week. He argued that the territory could benefit from tax revenue from legal cannabis sales, offsetting economic challenges resulting from the COVID-19 outbreak.
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April 29, 2020
Cannabis During COVID: Essential, Yet Ineligible
Every sector of the economy is being disrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and cannabis is no exception. However, the cannabis industry is uniquely positioned to weather the current crisis and has the potential to kick-start economic growth when state legislators return to work. Since its inception, the cannabis industry has faced its fair share of challenges: an evolving regulatory landscape, limited access to banking services, a vaping crisis, and – most recently – a credit crunch. This has forced businesses to be responsive and nimble, preparing them for yet another crisis: COVID-19. And as 29 states plus the District of Columbia have deemed marijuana businesses to be essential during shelter-at-home orders, those businesses have been quick to adapt to new rules and regulations. In response to these orders, cannabis delivery and curbside pick-up have emerged as easier ways to retrieve products. Medical dispensaries have adopted remote phone-in registration portals. Additionally, states such as Arkansas, Minnesota, and Nevada are allowing patients to renew medical marijuana cards online. But these businesses are now faced with a cruel irony: while they are recognized as essential by state governments, they are nonetheless deemed ineligible for federal stimulus funds. The Small Business Association (SBA) manages funds put aside for small businesses in the CARES Act stimulus package, and the CARES Act stipulates that the SBA cannot provide funds to any company directly or indirectly involved with cannabis. So, while these businesses are charged with continuing their essential services to the American public, they must do so without any emergency support from the American government.
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Legal Marijuana Market 2020 Analysis Report examines various segments which help for the quickest development amid the estimated forecast frame. This report comprehensively analyzes the potential of the market in the present and the future prospects from various corners. The market report consists of information about historic data, present market trends, environment, technological innovation, upcoming technologies and the technical progress in the related industry. This promotional document is a systematic synopsis on the study for market and how it is affecting the Legal Marijuana industry. The Legal Marijuana report presents with the key statistics on the market status of global and regional manufacturers and also acts as a valuable source of leadership and direction. This report also presents a widespread and elementary study of Legal Marijuana at the side of the analysis market size, share, trends growth, revenue, production and 2027. Geographical areas such as North America, South America, Europe, Asia-Pacific and Middle East & Africa are also considered for the market analysis.
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Despite being declared an essential service, the cannabis industry may fall victim to Covid-19. Already beset by huge tax bills and an inability to access banks, the cannabis industry is also ineligible to receive money from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act. However, it's not just companies that "touch the plant" that have been excluded from receiving financial aid, so have a host of other tax-paying businesses that provide services to the industry, such as lawyers and accountants. Most cannabis companies are considered small, with many being mom-and-pop shops. These are U.S. businesses that don't outsource production, provide jobs to about 240,000 Americans, and pay taxes to many layers of government that are now denying them help amid the economic lockdown. The Paycheck Protection Program President Trump signed into law March 27th offers small businesses funds to pay up-to-eight weeks of payroll costs including benefits, Implemented by the Small Business Administration (SBA), the funds can also be used to pay interest on mortgages, rent, and utilities. The program plans to pay out $349 billion to small businesses that must go toward job retention and certain other expenses.
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April 28, 2020
New Mexico Governor Says Legal Marijuana Revenue Could Have Offset Coronavirus’s Economic Hit
The governor of New Mexico is voicing regret that the state did not legalize marijuana this year because, she says, its eventual revenues could have helped to offset economic damage imposed by the coronavirus outbreak. During a press conference last week, Gov. Michelle Lynn Lujan Grisham (D) was asked what her plan is to address the financial uncertainty that’s emerged amid the COVID pandemic. While she said recovery efforts will largely involve coordination with oil and gas companies that account for a sizable share of the state budget, she also regretted that legislators were unable to approve cannabis legalization, which would’ve represented another source of income for the state. “If there was ever a time for wishful thinking, I wish we had passed recreational cannabis because that would be $100 million” in tax revenue, the governor said, though she also acknowledged that the estimate was made “before COVID-19.” Nevertheless, a regulated marijuana market “would be $100 million in the budget, and I’m very sad about that,” she said.
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April 28, 2020
Mexican Lawmakers Set To Take Up Marijuana Legalization Bill With Focus On Economic Recovery
A top Mexican senator says that marijuana legalization could generate tax revenue to offset economic losses caused by the coronavirus pandemic—and lawmakers could have the opportunity to advance reform in a committee that’s expected to be established on Thursday. Sen. Julio Ramón Menchaca Salazar of the ruling Morena party said that while legislators must still resolve disagreements about legislation that’s already been introduced and advanced through several committees last month, legalizing cannabis could fill treasury coffers at a time when the economy is taking a massive hit under social distancing and stay-at-home orders. Farmers in particular also stand to benefit, as the reform proposal would free them up to cultivate both marijuana and industrial hemp, he said. “We have this opportunity and we are going to take advantage of it,” Menchaca, who leads the Senate Justice Committee, told El Sol de Mexico over the weekend. “We will assume our responsibility, both in the Senate and in the Chamber of Deputies.” Lawmakers haven’t been able to discuss the details of a legalization measure in person in recent weeks, and so efforts to enact the policy change have been delayed because of the COVID-19 outbreak. After the Supreme Court ruled that the prohibition on personal possession and cultivation of cannabis is unconstitutional in 2018, it set deadlines for Congress to legalize the plant—dates that have been pushed back several times at the request of legislators who said they needed more time. Most recently, senators said they wouldn’t be able to meet the latest April deadline and the court agreed to give them until December 15. But the process of approving legalization legislation could be sped up through a permanent committee that’s being formed, where lawmakers could make decisions about provisions that have held up the bill in recent months. While the legislation would still have to be passed by the full Congress, the panel is positioned to expedite the process of negotiations. “We knew that during the weeks that they are not physically meeting, it was unlikely that the issue would be discussed because it was something that they really wanted to talk about in person,” Zara Snapp, a legalization activist with the Instituto RIA and the coalition #RegulacionPorLaPaz, told Marijuana Moment. “It would be great news if they moved forward with this under these conditions to ensure that it really does get passed in the timeframe that’s now been established by the Supreme Court.”
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April 28, 2020
There’s a new deadline for Mexico’s marijuana legalization
Mexico has once again delayed the legalization of marijuana and hemp. The potential future of the measure is now more anticipated than ever. The decision (originally set for April 30) was postponed due to the pandemic. They pressed pause on the process of legalization, missing the deadline originally set by Mexico’s supreme court. Because of this delay, “lawmakers have to pass a legalization bill during their next scheduled legislative session, which runs from Sept. 1 to Dec. 15,” according to Hemp Industry Daily. Before the latest setback, the senate committee approved a legalization bill that came from a consensus between political parties. According to the Daily, Mexico would be “the world’s most populous country with legalized cannabis regardless of THC content, meaning both marijuana and hemp,” if it in fact passes. This delay, while frustrating, is not entirely a bad thing; it offers lawmakers time to organize and discuss how they can improve the measure. Even if, or when, the legislation is passed, it will take years to construct and put into place regulations around the growing and selling of cannabis products. Denver’s Hoban Law Group’s Luis Armendáriz, an attorney in Chihuahua, Mexico offered Hemp Industry Daily’s Ivan Moreno insight on what the bill will bring to the Mexican people.
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