August 4, 2020
House bill blocks feds from enforcing marijuana ban in states that legalized recreational, medical weed
Illinois has other cannabis-related laws in the pipeline for 2020, including a law that will allow students who are medical marijuana patients to use cannabis
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August 4, 2020
You can still get busted in the U.S. for smoking hemp
One of the main arguments in favour of legalizing industrial hemp was that a person couldn’t get high on it even if they smoked a field of the stuff. The media has even suggested that if the general population decided to start raiding hemp crops across the U.S. in pursuit of a buzz, all they would get is a headache. When Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell took it upon himself in 2018 to legalize hemp in the U.S., the idea was that the plant would only be used as processed fibre and wouldn’t be something the consumer would gravitate toward in plant form. They certainly wouldn’t smoke it, right? Well, it turns out that not only are people smoking hemp, it is becoming one of the fastest growing trends on the cannabis scene.
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Just over a year ago, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott signed legislation allowing production and retail sale of hemp and hemp products in the state. Since then retail shops selling things like cannabidiol, better known as CBD oil in a variety of forms, including tinctures and edibles. Some also sold hemp products that could be smoked or vaped. It's important to note the legal hemp is not the same as marijuana. It does not contain a level of tetrahydrocannabinol, or THC — the psychoactive component of marijuana — so it doesn't produce a high. Instead, many feel it provides relief from the symptoms and effects of a variety of medical conditions. But final rules on the state's hemp program changed the game as of Sunday. Retailers can still sell hemp products — as long as they are not specifically manufactured to smoked or vaped. The reason? Well, it's pretty detailed but to keep things simple it seems even the small amount of what is called Delta 9 THC in legal hemp grows in potency when heated or burned. So it's hard to accurately ensure that, when smoked, the THC inhemp stays within legal limits. Advocates for legal hemp say some users find smoking the plant works better for them than other forms of the product. And they worry the new rules will leave them without needed relief. Some estimates put sales of smokable hemp at about 30 percent of the industry. So retailers will feel the pinch, too. At least legally. You see, growers can still grow the stuff and retailers will be able to sell loose hemp flower just as they have been. But they cannot market anything as smokable or make anything smokable, such as vape cartridges or pre-rolled hemp cigarettes. What the consumer does with the still legal loose hemp flower is another matter. Basically, it's now illegal to sell a hemp "joint," but legal to sell what's in it. So what we have here is a law that serves practically no purpose except to make things slightly more annoying to retailers and customers.
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August 4, 2020
Mississippi farmers can start applying for hemp license
Mississippi farmers, or those interested in becoming farmers, can now apply for a hemp grower license. The license application period began Saturday and runs through Oct. 31 through the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Hemp is a member of the cannabis plant family used for textiles, fuels, clothing and other products. The new Mississippi law legalized the cultivation of hemp and allowed Agriculture and Commerce Commissioner Andy Gipson to create a state plan for hemp farming. State lawmakers did not appropriate the money for a state hemp program, so Gipson said he asked the USDA to handle the licensing for Mississippi hemp growers.
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July 31, 2020
This is now the biggest cannabis company in the world
The pandemic has dealt a blow to corporate dealmaking, but one company that you've probably never heard of has been on a buying binge. Curaleaf Holdings (CURLF), a Massachusetts company that grows, processes and sells cannabis through dispensaries in 18 states, last week bought the Chicago cannabis cultivator and retailer Grassroots for $830 million. That makes Curaleaf the biggest cannabis company globally by sales, with expected annual revenue of about $1 billion, executive chairman Boris Jordan told CNN Business.
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July 31, 2020
House Votes To Protect State Cannabis Laws
The House voted to approve Part B Amendment #87 Thursday evening, which is a provision to prevent the federal government from using any funds to interfere with state medical or adult-use programs or target individuals and businesses that are in compliance with state cannabis laws. The bipartisan amendment to the Commerce, Justice, and Science appropriations bill was introduced by Reps. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Tom McClintock (R-CA), and Del. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC).
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The U.S. House voted Thursday to ban the U.S. Justice Department from enforcing the federal ban on cannabis in any state that has legalized the drug for any purpose. The amendment to the legislation funding several federal agencies for the 12 moths beginning Oct. 1 passed, 254-163, with 31 Republicans voting yes.
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July 30, 2020
Democrats Reject Cannabis Legalization in Party Platform
The Democratic Party’s platform committee on Monday rejected an amendment to support federal cannabis legalization, Boulder Weekly reports. The vote was 50-106 with three abstentions. The committee did approve language supporting federal cannabis decriminalization and rescheduling, along with language calling for reforms on how drug-related crimes are prosecuted.
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The House of Representatives on Thursday debated an amendment to protect all state, territory and tribal marijuana programs from federal interference. The measure, which would prevent the Department of Justice from using its funds to impede the implementation of cannabis legalization laws, passed in a voice vote days after being cleared for floor action by the Rules Committee. It will receive a formal roll call vote later in the afternoon.
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The smoking of legal cannabis in Texas may go on. But as of this Sunday, stores that sell hemp flowers can only sell consumable versions of the plant. By state regulations, consuming does not include smoking.
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