A bill clarifying language in the cannabis law passed the Senate but stalled in the House after lobbyists for Green Thumb Industries (GTI) pushed the idea that social equity in the system was at stake. Organizers say it was not. The bill gave current dispensaries the ability to move their dispensaries to new locations. The authors of the original cannabis law say that was always the intent and that it’s become necessary for dispensaries that started out catering only to medical use and expanded to recreational cannabis, bringing in thousands of customers. Those shops are struggling to handle the volume of customers — especially at a time when social distancing is so important.
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Less than a year after medical marijuana became legally available in Louisiana, lawmakers were on the verge of expanding access for some patients who currently don't meet the requirements to obtain a physician's recommendation. "It's legal now," Rep. Larry Bagley said. "There's no reason to restrict access and this was just to be sure that everybody could get it." House Bill 819, sponsored by Bagley, has already passed the House of Representatives and will face the final passage in the Senate on Tuesday. Right now, Louisiana has a long but tailored list of conditions that medical marijuana can be used to treat including cancer, Parkinson's disease, and epilepsy. Under Bagley's bill, therapeutic cannabis could be used to treat 'any condition' a doctor 'considers debilitating to an individual patient.'
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Pot shops are once again open for business in Massachusetts — with some limited operations and new guidelines. Under the state's reopening plan, recreational marijuana stores are now allowed to take online and phone orders to offer curbside pickup to customers. "We're just excited," said Kobie Evans, co-owner of Pure Oasis in Dorchester. "We're looking forward to seeing our staff and our customers, and really want to make sure that people are safe and staying healthy and, you know, just looking forward to this new opportunity to be open after being closed for so long." Pure Oasis — the first pot shop in Boston — was forced to shut down under a state order after being open for just two weeks.
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As COVID-19 cases continue to climb, people are staying home, limiting trips outside the house except for essential business. For millions of Americans, those essential trips include visits to cannabis dispensaries. Despite its federal status, cannabis has been deemed essential in most states where it is legal for medical or adult use. Yet the cannabis industry and those that it serves are disadvantaged by federal laws, which now, more than ever, have introduced avoidable risk and danger into the legal cannabis market. Federal lawmakers must act quickly to address these issues.
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Hemp has friends in high places, namely Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell. But the crop he championed in an attempt to boost ailing agriculture is at a low point. Farmers and manufacturers who wanted to capitalize on the frenzy around CBD, which comes from hemp, were lured into the industry after Congress passed the 2018 farm bill. It legalized cultivation of the crop, a low-potency sibling of marijuana. Hemp acreage in the U.S. more than tripled from 2018 to 2019.
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They have high hopes for a coronavirus breakthrough. A team of Canadian scientists believes it has found strong strains of cannabis that could help prevent or treat coronavirus infections, according to interviews and a study. Researchers from the University of Lethbridge said a study in April showed at least 13 cannabis plants were high in CBD that appeared to affect the ACE2 pathways that the bug uses to access the body. “We were totally stunned at first, and then we were really happy,” one of the researchers, Olga Kovalchuk, told CTV News. The results, printed in online journal Preprints, indicated hemp extracts high in CBD may help block proteins that provide a “gateway” for COVID-19 to enter host cells.
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Virginia Gov. Ralph Northam signed legislation on Thursday that decriminalizes marijuana possession, joining a majority of states that have ceased treating the drug as a criminal offense. The new law, which goes into effect July 1, is the latest progressive action taken by state Democrats since taking full control of Virginia's government in November for the first time in more than two decades. On Thursday, Northam, a Democrat, signed Senate Bill 2 and House Bill 972, creating a civil penalty of no more than $25 for possession of up to an ounce of marijuana, with no jail time. Under current Virginia law, possession of marijuana is punishable by a maximum fine of $500 and a maximum 30-day jail sentence for a first offense.
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When Illinois legalized hemp planting in 2018, nearly 600 farmers began growing a plant that had not been cultivated since WWII, and they had high hopes. But, in the short term, the boom has gone bust. Andy Huston, who began growing hemp in 2014 under the aegis of research, said that a lack of infrastructure, incomplete USFDA guidelines and the COVID-19 pandemic, have put a damper on the industry. As the price has plummeted from $40 a pound to $5 or $6, about half of those who planted last year have decided they cannot afford to do so again. Snags exist in both sides of the industry: cultivation for CBD oil, and the “fiber” sector, which is everything from textiles to concrete to byproducts used for cattle feed.
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May 21, 2020
Canada’s Aurora Cannabis surges after making a CBD deal to enter the lucrative U.S. market
Aurora Cannabis has agreed to buy U.S.-based CBD company Reliva, giving the struggling Canadian company a business foothold in America. Shares of Aurora closed off nearly 13% ahead of the Wednesday afternoon announcement. The stock surged higher in after-hours trading. However, over the past 12 months, Aurora has lost nearly 90% of its stock market value as of Wednesday’s close. “It’s immediate access into the world’s largest cannabinoid market,” Aurora Executive Chairman and interim CEO Michael Singer told CNBC’s Frank Holland. “I think the Reliva acquisition is a responsible strategic entry into the U.S. market; and for Aurora, delivers a key aspect of our reset plan.”
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May 20, 2020
Louisiana Lawmakers Advance Three Marijuana Reform Bills In One Day, Including Cannabis Banking
Louisiana lawmakers advanced three marijuana reform bills on Wednesday, and that includes legislation that would dramatically expand the state’s medical cannabis program and offer protections for banks that service marijuana businesses. House-passed legislation to allow physicians to recommend medical cannabis to patients for any debilitating condition that they deem fit was approved by the Senate Health and Welfare Committee in a 5-1 vote. Under current law there are only 14 conditions that qualify patients for marijuana. The bill now heads to the full Senate. Another bill introduced by Rep. Edmond Jordan (D) to protect banks and credit unions that service cannabis...
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