Fed official on health: regulate marijuana. Schumer on SAFE. MD Gov signs cannabis & child neglect bill. MN legalizes paraphernalia. PA legalization bill
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Top Things to Know
Minnesota Senate has sent a bill legalizing marijuana to Gov. Tim Walz, a Democrat, has promised to sign the bill into law. One signature is all that’s needed to make the state the 23rd U.S. state to legalize marijuana.
Nora Volkow, director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, said that to reduce the potential harms of marijuana, officials must “regulate the products being sold”, which is only possible with legalization.
Senate Majority leader Chuck Schumer (DNY) spoke again on the floor of the Senate about the importance adding “critical criminal-justice provisions” like expungements to marijuana bank legislation.
Maryland Gov. Wes Moore, a Democrat, signed legislation that will ensure that the use of marijuana responsibly and lawfully by parents and guardians is not construed as “neglect” by state officials.
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz, (D), signed a law legalizing the possession of drug paraphernalia and small amounts of residue.
Senators from both parties in Pennsylvania announced that they will be introducing a new bill to legalize marijuana this session.
The Louisiana House Labor Committee has approved a bill that will protect patients against losing their unemployment benefits due to the legal use of medical cannabis.
Bipartisan Montana legislators are pressing the Legislative Services Division (LSD) to reconsider an opinion which concluded that they could not vote to override the Governor. Greg Gianforte (R) has vetoed a bill that would have reallocated marijuana revenue.
Federal
Safehouse, the company that proposed a safe consumption site in Philadelphia for illegal drugs, and the Department of Justice agreed to another delay. This is a change of position from Safehouse. It had previously stated it would not agree to a continual extension of the deadline.
An official with the Food and Drug Administration said that the potential reproductive harms of CBD were the major factor in the decision to not regulate it under the existing frameworks.
Federal judges have rejected the Drug Enforcement Administration’s motions for dismissal of lawsuits filed by ayahuasca church groups seeking exemptions for religious use from federal prosecution.
In a court filing before the U.S. Court of Appeals, Ninth Circuit, the Drug Enforcement Administration defended their decision to deny a request to reschedule psilocybin.
Former Rep. Ed Perlmutter, (D-CO), coauthored an opinion piece arguing that marijuana businesses should be able to work with banks.
/ STATES
The New Hampshire House of Representatives rejected an amendment that would have added marijuana legalization to a bill unrelated to Medicaid expansion.
Wisconsin’s Senate Minority Leader tweeted that Minnesota’s historic vote “just a hop across the Mississippi River” is another reminder of what could be. Come on #Wisconsin, let’s #LegalizeIt to make Wisconsin safer, prosperous and honor our freedom.
The South Dakota Legislature’s Executive Board has approved new members for the Medical Marijuana Oversight Committee.
The North Carolina House Committees may begin to consider a medical cannabis bill passed by the Senate as early as this week.
A Nebraska senator spoke on the floor about her attempts to place medical cannabis on the ballot, despite lawmakers refusing to pass legislation on the subject.
Illinois regulators have been sued by licensed marijuana carriers for allegedly failing to deal with illegal cannabis delivery operations.
A judge in Oklahoma granted an order lifting the suspension on a license for a lab that tests medical cannabis.
New York’s top cannabis regulator said that the “slow rolling out” of recreational marijuana sales was “the product of a decision we made as a State.”
New Jersey regulators have approved the first marijuana dispensaries in the state that are solely for recreational use and do not serve the medical cannabis industry.
Oregon’s Office of Economic Analysis has announced that almost $40 million will be transferred into a fund established by the state’s drug decriminalization legislation, to support addiction recovery programs. This is a result of criminal justice savings due to reduced enforcement.
Rhode Island regulators have confirmed that they are aware of the billboard advertising a marijuana-related business next to a highway, and are “evaluating” its compliance with state laws.
Georgia regulators are expected to consider granting medical cannabis licenses Wednesday.
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/ LOCAL
Seattle’s City Attorney is urging the City Council in Washington to pass a local law criminalizing drug use and possession.
The Trinity County Sheriff’s Department in California is facing criticism over a video showing an officer shooting a canine during a raid at a licensed marijuana operation.
INTERNATIONAL
The Minister of Health in Spain has announced that he will release a report by the end this month allowing medical cannabis to be used within the National Health System.
A survey conducted by the Australian Green Party found that 98 percent of respondents supported legalizing cannabis.
The British Columbia government, Canada, is repealing the visibility rules which prevented marijuana products from being seen by passers-by.
/ SCIENCE AND HEALTH
The review concluded that, “most studies did not find any significant association between [recreational Cannabis Legalization] and changes among youth in European Countries, Uruguay, the US and Canada”, but that, “some studies reported an increase in cannabis consumption among youth and adults within the US and Canada,” although this increase seems to have predated RCL.
A study of medical cannabis patients in Pennsylvania found that “patients who identified as Black/African-American were less likely to have medical cannabis certifications” and that “males and Black/African-Americans were more likely to report smoking cannabis (vs other forms) and to purchase cannabis from an unlicensed dealer/seller.”
ADVOCACY / OPINION, ANALYSIS & ANALYSIS
The Seattle Times editorial staff said that, now that Washington State legislators have passed a bill to avoid decriminalization of drugs, “the hard work” to ensure access to treatment has begun.
A Drug Policy Alliance employee wrote a paper urging President Joe Biden, to release an equity action plan on marijuana reform.
/ BUSINESS
Curaleaf Inc. has agreed to pay $100,000 in order to settle a lawsuit filed by customers who claimed they had accidentally purchased cannabis drops containing high levels of THC, even though the products were labeled CBD.
Organigram Holdings Inc. has announced that The Edibles and Infusions Corporation, a subsidiary of Organigram Holdings Inc., has met the remaining milestones of its acquisition.
In March, Canadian retailers sold legal cannabis products worth C$405.5 Million.
Since the legalization of recreational marijuana in New York, retailers have sold over $16.5 million in products.
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The post MN Cannabis Legalization Goes to Gov’s Desk (Newsletter May 22, 2023) appeared first on Marijuana Minute.
