The Bethlehem town board is set to vote on imposing strict new regulations on the sale of tobacco and vaping products that would require retailers to get a local license.
Learn more
June 11, 2020
Website Engages Retailers on Local Tobacco Regulations
The federal government and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) tobacco regulations have set the minimum age to purchase tobacco products at 21 years, effectively prohibited the sale of flavored cartridge vapor products and required premarket tobacco applications to be submitted to the FDA for any new tobacco product introduced in the market after Feb. 15, 2007.
Learn more
Health care advocates have been negotiating with tobacco producer Altria as well as lawmakers to come up with a deal to refer a tobacco and vaping tax measure to Colorado voters this November.
Learn more
Only a few days before the restart of the 2020 legislative session, a coalition of more than three dozen groups sent Gov. Brian Kemp and lawmakers a letter asking them to support a tobacco tax hike and other measures to mitigate spending cuts.
Learn more
June 11, 2020
Congressman Calls For Decriminalization Of ‘Other Drugs’ Beyond Marijuana In New Policing Reform Plan
Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) released a police accountability plan on Tuesday, and it includes proposals to legalize marijuana and decriminalize other drugs to reduce over-policing of communities of color. The congressman cited statistics showing that black people are significantly more likely to be arrested over cannabis compared to white people, despite comparable rates of consumption. This pattern is part of the systemic racial injustice fueling mass protests across the country, he said.
Learn more
Marijuana legalization advocates kicked off their campaign Wednesday to convince South Dakota voters to legalize both medical and recreational marijuana in the November general election. South Dakota, where marijuana is currently illegal, would be the first state to approve both medical and recreational marijuana at the same time, if voters pass a pair of initiatives on the November ballot. In a solidly-conservative state, the proposals may serve as an indicator of how much opinions on marijuana have changed as states across the nation move to legalize a drug that is still technically outlawed by the federal government.
Learn more
Governor Newsom released a revised budget proposal that includes a large vapor tax increase that will harm the tobacco cessation efforts in the golden state.
Learn more
The two biggest parties making up the new government on Tuesday said they would push for increased legalization of cannabis use, a week after the police minister backed easing enforcement of existing laws. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud and Defense Minister Benny Gantz’s Blue and White said in a joint statement that they would advance legislation “to resolve the issue of decriminalization and legalization,” apparently referring to recreational cannabis use. The matter will be done “via a responsible model that will be suited to the State of Israel and the Israeli population,” the statement said, without elaborating. The statement noted that the sides had also decided to push medical cannabis reforms in order to make it easier for patients to get access to treatment and for growers to get a license. The legislation will be advanced by Blue and White MK Ram Shefa and Likud MK Sharren Haskel, and will be brought to the Ministerial Committee for Legislation “at the earliest convenience and after organized groundwork.” The statement did not give a more specific timetable for the moves, but Channel 12 reported Tuesday evening that it would likely take about four months.
Learn more
June 10, 2020
After 2019 hemp rush, Oregon farmers cool to the crop
Registered hemp growers, acreage is way off the pace.
Learn more
June 10, 2020
“We’re criminalizing a generation,” says one of South Dakota’s marijuana-legalization leaders
Leaders of ballot measures to legalize marijuana for medical and recreational uses in South Dakota rolled out for reporters a list of 50 people endorsing their efforts Wednesday. Brendan Johnson, a past U.S. attorney for South Dakota, is sponsor of Constitutional Amendment A. It would allow people who were at least age 21 to use South Dakota-grown marijuana, or to grow, transport or distribute it in South Dakota to people who are at least 21. A 15 percent excise tax on sales would be levied to pay for regulation by the state Department of Revenue, with any excess revenue to be split between state aid to public schools and state government’s general fund. The Legislature could adjust the rate after November 3, 2024. Marijuana remains illegal under federal law. Johnson said some states have gone ahead with legalization efforts anyway, under a hands-off guidance, known as the Cole Memorandum, that took effect during President Obama’s administration. William Barr, President Trump’s current U.S. Attorney General, has informally accepted its continuation “for now.” Johnson was the federal Department of Justice’s U.S. attorney for South Dakota during much of the Obama administration, from October 2009 to March 2015. Randy Seiler succeeded Johnson in October 2015. Seiler, who retired in December 2017 and now is chairman of the South Dakota Democratic Party, was one of the people on the marijuana group’s endorsement list Wednesday. Melissa Mentele of Emery is sponsor of Initiated Measure 26 that would legalize medical marijuana in South Dakota. Mentele told reporters Wednesday the constitutional amendment would provide political protection for her proposal. The Legislature can’t change the South Dakota Constitution. Johnson and Mentele are part of the ‘Yes on A / Yes on 26’ campaign seeking a majority of voters to approve both measures in South Dakota’s November 3 general election. She said there would be a heavy focus on absentee ballots this fall. The group’s political director is Drey Samuelson. He was the career-long chief of staff for now-retired U.S. Senator Tim Johnson, who served 28 years in Congress. The former senator, a Democrat, is Brendan Johnson’s father. Samuelson promised “a very active grassroots campaign.” Also participating in the teleconference was Matt Schweich from the Marijuana Policy Project. The Legislature, dominated by Republicans, approved a law permitting low-THC industrial hemp this year that Governor Kristi Noem, a Republican, signed into law. She vetoed somewhat similar legislation last year, describing industrial hemp as a gateway to legalizing marijuana. Asked whether they thought the governor would come out against their proposals, Samuelson replied, “I’d be astonished if she doesn’t oppose it.” Johnson wasn’t willing to go that far: “South Dakota has an awful lot on its plate right now.” Mentele’s medical-marijuana measure’s estimated impact on state government’s budget looks like a wash, but Johnson’s recreational-use amendment could raise more than $10 million in the fiscal year 2022 and in excess of $29 million in the fiscal year 2024. A request has been made to Noem’s office for her position on the two measures. South Dakota voters have refused past attempts to legalize marijuana. The most recent instance was 2010, when medical marijuana failed, with 115,667 yes votes and 199,552 voting no. Johnson said Wednesday there would be another financial benefit of legalization: Fewer people sentenced to South Dakota’s crowded state prisons for ingestion of marijuana. “The concern for me is we’re criminalizing a generation,” he said. Among the 50 endorsers are Scott Heidepriem of Sioux Falls, a former legislator who was the Democratic candidate for governor in 2010; Flandreau Santee Sioux Tribe President Tony Reider; Jack Billion of Sioux Falls, a former legislator and the 2006 Democratic candidate for governor; and Paula Hawks of Hartford, a former legislator and the Democrats’ 2016 candidate for U.S. House.
Learn more
