The COVID-19 outbreak is impacting the lives of all Americans. In recent weeks, our leadership has been asked to address numerous policy issues surrounding the state-licensed cannabis industry as well as the health and welfare of the estimated 14 percent of Americans who self-identify as current cannabis consumers. Safety first. As long as cultures have consumed cannabis, the practice of sharing a joint or a pipe among friends has been a common social practice. But given what we know about COVID-19 and its transmission, we believe that it is mindful during this time to halt this behavior. The cannabis community should be similarly precautions when it comes to various other conduits for consuming marijuana, including the use of bowls, bongs, and vape pens. Avoid direct sharing and continually keep your personal collection clean; using 90 percent + Isopropyl Alcohol is an effective and affordable way to clear any germs or pathogens off your pieces. Because COVID-19 is a respiratory illness, consumers, and in particular, those patients who may be susceptible to greater health risks, should either limit or altogether avoid their exposure to combustive smoke of any kind. Alternative delivery devices, such as vaporizer heating devices can significantly mitigate combustive smoke exposure, and of course, the use of edibles or tinctures can eliminate smoke exposure entirely.To the extent that one is able, it is also best to know where your cannabis is coming from. Cannabis from the unregulated market may potentially possess molds, pesticides, or other unwanted adulterants that could hamper one’s immune system. Whenever possible, consumers should try to obtain a lab-tested, regulated product — though we fully understand that many people in our country still live in a state that enforces prohibition and this is not a realistic option for all consumers. This advice is especially pertinent for portable vaping devices (e.g., vape pens), as unregulated counterfeit vape products have been known to contain Vitamin E acetate and other dangerous additives that can harm the lungs. We also encourage cannabis consumers and others to beware of online misinformation surrounding the use of either whole-plant cannabis or CBD as a potential remedy for the COVID-19 virus. To be clear, there is as of yet no substantiated clinical data supporting either the prophylactic or therapeutic use of cannabis products in the treatment of COVID-19. In short, if something sounds too good to be true, it likely is too good to be true.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) announced on Tuesday that is approved hemp regulatory plans for two additional states and three more Indian tribes. South Carolina and West Virginia are the latest to have their proposals approved since the crop was federally legalized under the 2018 Farm Bill. That raises the total number of approved state plans to 14. Last month, USDA accepted proposed regulations from Georgia and Montana. Additionally, the Oglala Sioux Tribe, the Seneca Nation of Indians and the Turtle Mountain Band of Chippewa Indians also had their proposals authorized. Now there are 17 approved tribal plans. “USDA continues to receive and review hemp production plans from states and Indian tribes,” the department said. While USDA considers changes to an interim final rule for hemp that it released last year, it has systematically been approving plans submitted by states and tribes. Industry stakeholders have said they appreciate USDA’s commitment to continuing to implement a domestic hemp production program under the Farm Bill, but many have also raised concerns about restrictive provisions of the proposal. To that end, the department said in February that it will temporarily lift two provisions that the industry viewed as problematic. Those policies primarily concern testing and disposal requirements. The department declined to revise the THC limit, however, stating that it’s a statutory matter that can’t be dealt with administratively. Agriculture Secretary Sonny Perdue said twice last month that the Drug Enforcement Administration influenced certain rules, adding that the narcotics agency wasn’t pleased with the overall legalization of hemp. Separately, the Food and Drug Administration submitted an update last month on the status of its regulations for hemp-derived CBD. The agency said it is in the process of determining whether the cannabis compound can be marketed as a dietary supplement, and it’s still developing enforcement discretion guidance for cannabidiol. A public comment period was reopened indefinitely for individuals to submit feedback on the cannabis compound.
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March 31, 2020
Gas Tax Revenue to Decline as Traffic Drops 38 Percent
The coronavirus pandemic is affecting most aspects of the economy, and motor fuel consumption is no exception. As social distancing recommendations, shelter-in-place-orders, and quarantines have upended American life in an effort to slow the spread of the virus, road traffic has declined dramatically around the country.
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March 31, 2020
Gas Tax Revenue to Decline as Traffic Drops 38 Percent
The coronavirus pandemic is affecting most aspects of the economy, and motor fuel consumption is no exception. As social distancing recommendations, shelter-in-place-orders, and quarantines have upended American life in an effort to slow the spread of the virus, road traffic has declined dramatically around the country.
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The New York Legislature seems poised to eliminate a proposal to legalize marijuana through the budget this year, according to a draft document outlining the policies included in the spending legislation currently under final negotiations ahead of a vote this week. The draft budget report, which was shared with Marijuana Moment, includes a line stating that the “Adopted Budget omits the Executive proposal to legalize adult use cannabis.” It also “eliminates $34.31 million in funding for the Office for Cannabis Management,” a government body that would have been responsible for regulating the marijuana market. The apparent exclusion of Governor Andrew Cuomo’s legalization proposal, while disappointing to reform advocates, is not entirely surprising in the context of the coronavirus outbreak. While the governor repeatedly stressed that the policy change should be enacted through the budget, he and top lawmakers have tried to temper expectations in recent weeks as legislative priorities have shifted during the pandemic. But to some, the draft adopted budget report isn’t necessarily a death knell for the reform move, and they hope lawmakers can still accomplish legalization this year through separate legislation. “We are disappointed adult use is not in the budget since it would have been a huge economic benefit to New York farmers and small businesses,” said Allan Gandelman, president of the NY Cannabis Growers & Processors Association. “We hope to continue working with the governor and the legislature to get this done as soon as possible.” The Legislature must still vote on the final budget, but there’s little time left to hash out a deal on comprehensive reform ahead of a Wednesday deadline. Senator Liz Krueger filed a revised standalone legalization bill earlier this month, language of which could have theoretically been inserted into the budget, but it’s not clear that option remains on the table.
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A Massachusetts cannabis commissioner called on Governor Charlie Baker on Monday to allow recreational marijuana stores to reopen, deeming them an essential business alongside medical dispensaries amid the spread of coronavirus. Last week, Baker required all non-essential businesses in Massachusetts to close until at least April 7, but allowed medical dispensaries to stay open, saying they will be “treated for all intents and purposes the same way we treat healthcare operations.” He said he decided to close adult-use marijuana operations because they draw “a ton of traffic" from other nearby states. But cannabis Commissioner Shaleen Title said Monday that the same measures put in place to keep customers safe at medical dispensaries — like social distancing in line and enhanced sanitization efforts among employees — could be applied to adult-use stores. The commission has taken additional steps in the past couple weeks to cut down the in-person contact needed to obtain marijuana products in the state. The agency is temporarily allowing new medical marijuana patients to be certified via telehealth (rather than requiring in-person appointments) and allowing medical marijuana dispensaries to offer curbside or at-the-door pickup.
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March 30, 2020
Hemp farming approved to begin in Georgia this summer
Hemp farming has finally gotten the green light to begin in Georgia, bringing a new crop that will sprout this summer. Farmers will soon be able to grow hemp, which will then be processed into CBD oil, a popular product used for anxiety and sleeplessness. CBD oil is already sold in stores across Georgia, but it’s imported from other states.The prospects for the Georgia hemp industry to start this year were in doubt until the U.S. Department of Agriculture approved the state’s hemp plan this month. The federal government had put Georgia’s plan on hold late last year but gave it the go-ahead when state legislators appropriated $200,000 to regulate the program in this year’s budget and proposed additional funding next fiscal year.“With everything online and all systems go, our phones are ringing daily with farmers,” said Thomas Farmer, a co-founder of Second Century Ag, which plans to distribute hemp starter plants to farmers and then process grown hemp at a facility in Ocilla. “It’s a relief that it happened, without a doubt. We were looking forward to moving forward.” Hemp farmers and processors rushed to obtain licenses when state government began accepting applications last Monday. The Georgia Department of Agriculture received 57 applications for hemp farming licenses and five applications for hemp processing licenses in the first four days of the program.Hemp and marijuana both come from the cannabis plant, but hemp varieties contain little or no THC, the compound that gives marijuana users a high. State inspectors will test hemp to ensure it contains less than 0.3% THC.It will take at least 20 days for hemp licenses to be approved, and then farming can start.
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March 29, 2020
Adult-use cannabis shops seek ‘essential’ status
On a busy day, Caroline Frankel can see 500 to 700 people come through the door of her adult-use cannabis business. But Tuesday, Caroline’s Cannabis closed, deemed a non-essential business by Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration in efforts to contain the spread of the coronavirus. And Frankel is one of several people interviewed who is bracing for uncertainty in an already uncertain industry. “Look at how new and fragile this industry is,” Frankel, a social equity program participant, said in an interview Friday. She reported she had laid off one of her 10 staff members and the rest of the staff is on a leave of absence. “We work so devastatingly hard to be a part of it, to see the whole industry cease like this, I think we’re going to see some very serious financial effects trickle down from this.” It’s not just the little guy. “I got into this to provide cannabis safely and legally, and right now I am very limited in my ability to do that, and it is very upsetting and frustrating,” said Dr. Karen Munkacy, founder and CEO of Garden Remedies, which has three adult-use and medical cannabis locations in addition to a headquarters and a production facility. Medical cannabis is deemed an essential business, so Garden Remedies remains open, although a spokesperson said medical sales account for only 15% of revenue. “I have 150 jobs at risk because of what the governor has done, and we’re hoping that upon further evaluation he will do the right thing.”
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If there were any more fun facts to learn about cannabis, its ritualistic use at a biblical site in Israel can now be added to the list. In 1963, two limestone altars were found at the entrance to the "Holy of Holies" of a Judahite shrine at Beersheba Valley, in Israel's Tel Arad, an archaeological mound located west of the Dead Sea and surrounded by mountain ridges known as the Arad Plain. The site is divided into a lower city and an upper hill. Inside the site, there is a shrine devoted to Yahweh, the Hebrew name of God used in the Bible. Analysis of the materials on two altars, now housed in the Israel Museum, Jerusalem, found they contained cannabis and frankincense, according to a study published Thursday in the journal Tel Aviv.
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A group seeking a constitutional amendment to legalize recreational marijuana in Arkansas has stopped collecting signatures due to the coronavirus pandemic but will refocus its efforts for 2022, a spokeswoman said. Arkansas True Grass wanted an amendment to legalize marijuana use and expunge prior drug convictions on the Nov. 3 ballot. But the pandemic has led to the cancellation of events, making it all but impossible to collect the nearly 90,000 signatures required by the July 3 deadline, according to Briana Boling, the group’s spokeswoman.
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