September 11, 2020
New marijuana shops need ‘true social equity,’ lawmakers say in pitching change to weed law
As losing applicants for new pot shop licenses continued to raise alarms about the application process and an upcoming lottery to determine the winners, two Democratic lawmakers outlined plans Wednesday to formally review the scoring system and introduce new legislation to “make sure that true social equity is achieved.” During a Zoom call with a group of scorned social equity candidates, state Reps. La Shawn Ford (D-Chicago) and Kathleen Willis (D-Northlake) said they are formulating a “trailer bill” to introduce during the fall veto session that will reflect the litany of concerns from would-be pot shop operators
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September 11, 2020
Medical Marijuana Measure Removed From Nebraska’s November Ballot By State Supreme Court
The Nebraska Supreme Court ruled on Thursday that a medical marijuana legalization initiative cannot appear on the state’s November ballot following a legal challenge. Activists turned in enough signatures in July to qualify the measure, but Lancaster County Sheriff Terry Wagner filed a challenge against the secretary of state’s office last month, arguing that the proposal violates the state’s single-subject rule for ballot initiatives and would confuse voters. While the state rejected that argument, the local police official took it up in court. Lawyers for both the sheriff and supporters of the measure—including state Sens. Adam Morfeld (D) and Anna Wishart (D)—made their respective arguments during a hearing last week.
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September 11, 2020
Changed Regulations Threaten Burgeoning Hemp Industry
Participants in New York State's budding hemp industry are nervous about changes in state and federal regulations that they say could have catastrophic consequences just as it is starting to thrive. Though hemp cultivation was legalized nationally in the federal farm bill of 2018, New York initiated an industrial hemp pilot research program four years earlier, a provision of the 2014 federal farm bill. The state's program has grown from two growers and 30 acres in 2016 to more than 500 producers and 20,000 acres this year, but is set to expire on Oct. 31. The 2018 farm bill authorized a national licensing system for hemp cultivation under United States Department of Agriculture jurisdiction.
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September 11, 2020
Hemp or marijuana? After a year in the dark, Harris County prosecutors will finally know.
Local forensic labs in Harris County can now determine whether a leafy green is hemp or marijuana following a state policy that legalized some uses of the cannabis plant. The Houston Forensic Science Center and the Harris County Institute of Forensic Sciences will use the test on samples that could contain illegal amounts of THC, the results of which could be used to prosecute criminal cases. THC is the main active ingredient in cannabis.
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September 10, 2020
Campaign to legalize marijuana kicks off with 55 days until election
A coalition of activists and experts is readying to roll out a campaign to legalize marijuana in New Jersey for those over 21, framed through a racial justice lens seeking to end arrests for weed use and address the damage caused by the war on drugs. NJ CAN 2020 formed in March, just a week before the state began shutting down to stop the spread of the coronavirus. Since, the landscape of an election has changed drastically — no going door-to-door to spread the word, no rallies with motivational speakers to rouse voters. And the get-out-the-vote message has shifted to getting the ballot in the mailbox on time, as New Jersey plans to send mail-in ballots to all of its registered voters.“As people are self-isolating, quarantining, we need to go where people are,” said Axel Owen, NJ CAN 2020?s campaign manager. “Since we can’t go to their door, that means we have to go to their phone.” The coalition includes members of the ACLU of New Jersey, Doctors for Cannabis Regulation, the Latino Action Network, the American Trade Association for Cannabis and Hemp, Law Enforcement Action Partnership, the NAACP New Jersey State Conference and the NJ CannaBusiness Association. It also has the support and funding of The coalition will take a virtual-first approach to reaching voters and educating them about the ballot question seeking to legalize marijuana. They will host online forums, live broadcasts and posts on social media as well as phone banking and text alerts. Despite a years-long battle to legalize marijuana, coalition members say the need to educate voters remains. “There are many people in New Jersey who think that we have already legalized,” said Amol Sinha, executive director of the ACLU of New Jersey and a coalition member. “I think we need to educate voters that no, it’s not done. And it’s going to be on the ballot.” With a decade-old medical marijuana program and three years worth of calls by Gov. Phil Murphy to legalize, many people wrongly assume the Garden State has already passed legislation. But the state Senate fell short of the number of votes needed to pass a legalization bill several times over the past two years; lawmakers have also let legislation that would decriminalize anywhere from two ounces to one pound of marijuana languish. Meanwhile, police continue to arrest nearly 100 people for possession of marijuana each day, and the illicit market thrives. That’s the main point the coalition wants to drive home to voters. This isn’t just about making it easier to purchase marijuana for recreational use, but about stopping the thousands of annual arrests that disproportionately impact Black communities. Weedmaps, individual donors and New Jersey advocacy group, including the ACLU.
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September 10, 2020
Why the global cannabis industry needs blockchain for more effective quality control
Over the past few years, cannabis has been increasingly accepted into the mainstream as an effective therapy that can produce fewer side effects than other prescription drugs in many patients. This acceptance is reflected in the rapid evolution in legislation surrounding cannabis around the world. However, due to current regulations, pharmacies in Canada are limited to dispensing medical cannabis via online channels. On a larger scale, even other countries where cannabis has been legalized for therapeutic purposes may be limited in their methods of legally distributing the drug. Furthermore, many pharmacists and other healthcare professionals are reluctant to dispense, and sometimes even prescribe, medical cannabis. This isn’t because they doubt its efficacy in treating certain symptoms, which has been long proven, but because of the potential variations and inconsistencies that come with working with plant medicine versus more traditional pharmaceuticals. That reluctance is understandable. Accustomed to rigorous testing, fixed doses, and universally applicable information, healthcare workers may be hesitant about undertaking the responsibility of providing this ground-breaking and unique form of treatment based solely on patient reviews, instinct, and vague descriptions from licensed producers. Unfortunately, that reluctance — along with the foot-dragging of regulators to allow pharmacies to dispense cannabis as they would any other drug — renders medical cannabis less accessible than other medications for vulnerable patients. It also leaves pharmacies on the sidelines of what could potentially represent a massive financial windfall for the industry as a whole. But despite the apparent challenges faced by pharmacies in dispensing cannabinoid-based medicine, there is a solution. Blockchain technology can be implemented to help pharmacies worldwide adopt the sale of cannabis products, be they high in tetrahydrocannabinol (or THC, the intoxicating cannabinoid found in the cannabis plant), the increasingly popular cannabidiol (or CBD, a psychoactive but non-intoxicating compound in cannabis), or other therapeutic elements derived from the plant. As the legalization of cannabis continues its rapid spread across the globe, legislators and healthcare workers are increasingly looking for a means of providing citizens and patients with safe, accountable access to effective, cannabis-based medications.
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September 10, 2020
USDA reopens comment period on hemp regulations as lawmakers, growers worry rules could stunt budding industry
The future of regulations on the hemp industry is up in the air as the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) reconsiders a slate of proposed rules ahead of the 2021 growing season. These include directives on the testing and disposal of hemp that growers and even some U.S. senators have said could stunt the growth of the industry that was created by the 2018 Farm Bill. On Sept. 4 the USDA announced that it would reopen the comment period for the interim final rule (IFR) on domestic hemp production, seeking input from the public on a variety of provisions. At the center of the issue are two regulations -- one that requires labs testing farmers' hemp to be registered with the Drug Enforcement Administration(DEA) and one that would require disposal of hemp plants with non-compliant levels of THC (the active chemical in marijuana that is found in much lower levels in hemp) to happen with law enforcement involved. Both of those rules had their implementation delayed until October 2021 earlier this year, but still have been the subject of criticism, including from Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., who wants the USDA to delay the implementation further into 2022. "When it comes to an industry as promising as industrial hemp in Upstate New York, the feds must do everything they can to nurture its potential. Regulating this rapidly-emerging industry is a must, but the timing of new regulations is important and the current economic crisis must be considered," the minority leader said. "Delaying new regulations will help pull New York along in the recovery process as the nation deals with the impacts of the pandemic.” Oregon Sens. Ron Wyden and Jeff Merkley, both Democrats, have led the push to change and delay the implementation of the regulations of the industry that's thrived in their state. "We note that there are no laboratories listed for Oregon, despite the state having the fourth highest number of hemp producers in the country and the state's hemp acreage ranks fifth nationwide this year," they said in a letter from late July. "We therefore recommend UDSA remove both the DEA laboratory registration requirement and the requirement for a DEA-registered reverse distributor or law enforcement to dispose of non-compliant plants in the final rule."
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September 8, 2020
House will vote on federal marijuana legalization for the first time, bill's future in Senate uncertain
The Democratic-controlled House will vote on legalizing marijuana at the federal level for the first time in the chamber's history later this month, a hurdle Democrats and advocates are celebrating as Congress grapples with a host of pressing issues before the November election. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the House would vote on the MORE Act during the week of Sept. 21. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., would remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances and expunge some marijuana-related criminal records, though it would still be up to states to pass their own regulations on the sale of marijuana. "It's about time," Nadler told USA TODAY, calling it a "historic vote" marking the beginning of the end of the federal government's "40-year, very misguided crusade" against marijuana. Maritza Perez, director of the office of national affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance, a group advocating for the decriminalization of drugs, said her organization was "thrilled," saying the bill would "begin to repair some of the harms caused by the war on drugs in communities of color and low-income communities." The House's vote comes as views of marijuana have changed in Washington and increased numbers of Americans support the legalization of the drug, whether for recreational or medicinal purposes. And while this bill is likely to fail in the Republican-majority Senate, advocates still saw the vote as a step forward. "I don't even know if two years ago, I would have said that an act like this would have passed," said Adam Goers, the vice president of corporate affairs at Columbia Care, which operates marijuana dispensaries across the country. According to a 2019 Gallup survey, 66% of Americans supported legalization, though support did differ by party. More than three-quarters of Democrats said they supported legalization, as opposed to about half of Republicans. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., told USA TODAY, "the country has moved" its views on marijuana. With Congress' action, "there's a recognition of where the states are, and we're not going to put the genie back in the bottle when it comes to cannabis," he said, referring to the states who have already legalized marijuana in some form. "And we just need to move forward with these pieces of legislation and get the federal and state laws to align with each other." Marijuana is currently regulated by a patchwork of laws at the state and federal levels, and Goers said legalization at the federal level would add "normalization" for businesses and states by legalizing marijuana at the federal level. Eleven states and the District of Columbia have legalized recreational marijuana, and 33 states, the District of Columbia, Guam, Puerto Rico, and the U.S. Virgin Islands have legalized medical marijuana, but marijuana is still illegal at the federal level.
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September 8, 2020
US House will vote on federal marijuana legalization for the first time
The Democratic-controlled House will vote on legalizing marijuana at the federal level for the first time in the chamber’s history later this month, a hurdle Democrats and advocates are celebrating as Congress grapples with a host of pressing issues before the November election. House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md., said the House would vote on the MORE Act during the week of Sept. 21. The measure, sponsored by Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., would remove marijuana from the federal list of controlled substances and expunge some marijuana-related criminal records, though it would still be up to states to pass their own regulations on the sale of marijuana. “It’s about time,” Nadler told USA TODAY, calling it a “historic vote” marking the beginning of the end of the federal government’s “40-year, very misguided crusade” against marijuana. Maritza Perez, director of the office of national affairs at the Drug Policy Alliance, a group advocating for the decriminalization of drugs, said her organization was “thrilled,” saying the bill would “begin to repair some of the harms caused by the war on drugs in communities of color and low-income communities.” The House’s vote comes as views of marijuana have changed in Washington and increased numbers of Americans support the legalization of the drug, whether for recreational or medicinal purposes. And while this bill is likely to fail in the Republican-majority Senate, advocates still saw the vote as a step forward. “I don’t even know if two years ago, I would have said that an act like this would have passed,” said Adam Goers, the vice president of corporate affairs at Columbia Care, which operates marijuana dispensaries across the country. According to a 2019 Gallup survey, 66% of Americans supported legalization, though support did differ by party. More than three-quarters of Democrats said they supported legalization, as opposed to about half of Republicans. Rep. Ed Perlmutter, D-Colo., told USA TODAY, “the country has moved” its views on marijuana. With Congress’ action, “there’s a recognition of where the states are, and we’re not going to put the genie back in the bottle when it comes to cannabis,” he said, referring to the states who have already legalized marijuana in some form. “And we just need to move forward with these pieces of legislation and get the federal and state laws to align with each other.”
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September 8, 2020
USDA Reopens Public Comment Period On Hemp Rules Following Intense Industry Pushback
The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Friday that it is reopening a public comment period on hemp regulations following months of intense pushback from stakeholders on its original proposal. While the federal agency already received more than 4,600 comments during the initial comment period that closed in January, it is now encouraging “additional input on several topics identified by commenters.” This seems to a sign that USDA is willing to provide more flexible regulations, as many interested parties—from industry operators to members of Congress—have requested. USDA listed 12 areas where they’re especially seeking additional feedback, including several that industry representatives have identified as very consequential. Here are the titles, as listed in the department’s new Federal Register notice: 1. Measurement of Uncertainty for Sampling 2. Liquid Chromatography Factor, 0.877 3. Disposal and Remediation of Non-Compliant Plants 4. Negligence 5. Interstate Commerce 6. 15-day Harvest Window 7. Hemp seedlings, microgreens, and clones 8. Hemp breeding and research 9. Sampling Methodology – Flower vs. Whole Plant 10. Sampling Methodology – Homogenous Composition, Frequency, and Volume 11. Sampling Agents 12. DEA Laboratory Registration. This is a welcome development as far as stakeholders are concerned, giving hope that USDA could ultimately revise some of the more onerous restrictions that they’ve indicated could hamper the industry’s potential. For example, producers have argued that the proposed rule mandating that hemp be tested only at DEA-certified laboratories will have an unnecessary bottlenecking effect and they should be able to have a wider range of labs to use. That was one policy USDA temporarily lifted earlier this year, and now it wants to hear from the public on whether it “should be permanently removed.” Another rule that USDA paused due to feedback concerns disposal and remediation of non-compliant hemp that contains excess THC. The agency’s Interim Final Rule stipulated that so-called “hot hemp” must be eradicated under law enforcement supervision. Farmers have complained about that restriction and said they should be allowed to remediate the crop using a number of techniques. USDA wants to hear more about that proposed alternative.The department is also open to amending the 15-day testing window and is requesting information about why many industry participants feel a 30-day window would be more appropriate, as many said during the past comment period.
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