New York could vote to legalize cannabis this week (Newsletter: June 17, 2019)

Oregon OKs marijuana exports; Oakland cannabis shop flooded with psychedelics calls after decrim; Common THC threshold not tied to impaired driving

Subscribe to receive Marijuana Moment’s newsletter in your inbox every weekday morning. It’s the best way to make sure you know which cannabis stories are shaping the day.

Your support makes Marijuana Moment possible…

We monitored nearly eight hours of congressional debate to bring you today’s lead article. Estimated read time for you to get up to speed: 4 minutes.

If you value the time Marijuana Moment’s work saves you, please start a Patreon pledge of $10/month to support even more coverage from a growing team of cannabis journalists.

• Mike Kaufenberg: “It’s nice to know what is going on across the country with legalization of what should have always been legal. Here in Minnesota our lawmakers are dragging their feet on what the people already want! Keep up the good work.”

https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment

/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

The House Appropriations Committee rejected an attempt to scale back marijuana banking protections in a spending bill, and prohibitionist Rep. Andy Harris (R-MD) read the room and didn’t even try to introduce his measure blocking Washington, D.C. from spending its own local tax dollars to legalize cannabis sales.

Oregon lawmakers sent Gov. Kate Brown (D) a bill to allow marijuana imports and exports with other states in the event of federal policy change. They also approved legislation to make it easier for people to clear past cannabis convictions from their records.

At least one Oakland, California marijuana shop is now getting flooded with calls about whether they sell psilocybin mushrooms following the City Council’s vote to decriminalize psychedelics. (SPOILER ALERT: No, they don’t. Sales are still illegal.)

A study found “no evidence of increased crash risk” in drivers with 2-5 ng/mL THC blood content—a commonly used limit in legal marijuana states—and that the “impact of cannabis on road safety is relatively small at present time.”

/ FEDERAL

The Senate Caucus on International Narcotics Control held a hearing on the U.S.’s global anti-drug strategy.

Former Rep. Beto O’Rourke (D-TX), a presidential candidate, spoke about how he was “for an end to the war on drugs and an end of the prohibition on marijuana years before any other major candidate did it.”

Former Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (D), a presidential candidate, said, “I am a supporter of making sure the federal government allows every state that wants to, to be able to go out and legalize it.”

Democratic presidential candidate Marianne Williamson spoke about her support for legalizing marijuana and toured a Nevada cannabis business. She also tweeted, “The prohibition against marijuana has been as ill-conceived and ultimately harmful as was the prohibition against alcohol. Now it’s time for it to end.”

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) tweeted photos of herself discussing marijuana with travel writer Rick Steves.

Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) tweeted a video of himself walking and talking cannabis with Steves.

Former Reps. Dana Rohrabacher (R-CA) and Carlos Curbelo (R-FL) spoke about their advocacy work for the marijuana industry following their reelection losses.

/ STATES

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said that lawmakers should be “primaried” if they don’t advance marijuana legalization and other progressive issues.

New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy (D) sent a memo to legislative leaders about changes he wants made to a medical cannabis expansion bill. Separately, a senator said he would refuse to vote for the state budget unless marijuana decriminalization is enacted.

Nevada Gov. Steve Sisolak (D) tweeted, “As our legal cannabis industry continues to flourish, it’s important to expand opportunities for all Nevadans. That’s why I was proud to sign this bill into law, which contains common-sense exceptions for public safety and transportation professionals.”

Texas’s agriculture commissioner cheered the state’s legalization of hemp.

The U.S. Virgin Islands’s agriculture commissioner is hosting a cannabis conference next month.

Michigan lawmakers approved a budget that includes money to implement marijuana legalization. Separately, cannabis regulators will meet on Thursday. They also sent a bulletin about the use of misbranded banned pesticides.

A Montana judge ruled that a medical cannabis company can proceed with new operations despite objections from regulators.

A Rhode Island senator whose daughter owns part of a medical cannabis cultivation business did not mention that fact during a hearing on legislation he is sponsoring to add new dispensaries such operations can sell medicine to.

New Mexico regulators are proposing an increase in medical cannabis plant limits, removal of a THC concentration limit and allowing recommendations to be made through telemedicine, among other changes.

Washington State regulators are holding a forum on marijuana testing rules on June 25.

Ohio’s Medical Marijuana Advisory Committee will meet on Thursday.

The Associated Press looks at how broader marijuana legalization can hurt pre-existing state medical cannabis laws.

/ LOCAL

Fairfax, Virginia voters elected a commonwealth’s attorney candidate who ran on not prosecuting marijuana cases.

/ INTERNATIONAL

Canada’s Senate gave second reading approval to a bill to expedite record suspensions for marijuana possession convictions.

Russian police are under fire for filing dubious drug charges against an investigative journalist who has focused on exposing government corruption.

/ ADVOCACY

The Global Alliance for Cannabis Commerce released model federal marijuana legalization legislation.

A funeral for New York marijuana activist Doug Greene, who was killed in a subway accident last week, will be held on Thursday.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A study found that “several factors prevent pervasive medical marijuana use, including stigma, cost, and the inability for healthcare providers to relay instructions regarding dosing, strain, and method of use” and that “medical patients consider marijuana to be a viable alternative for opioids and other prescription medications, though certain policy barriers inhibit widespread implementation of marijuana as a treatment option.”

A study concluded that “cannabis sleep aid use predicted longer same-night sleep duration, shorter same-night wake time after sleep onset, and greater next-day daytime fatigue within person, after controlling for daily cannabis frequency.”

/ OPINION & ANALYSIS

A poll found that Long Island and Hudson Valley, New York voters support legalizing marijuana.

The New York Times editorial board cheered the early impact of a federal criminal justice reform bill signed into law last year.

/ BUSINESS

Leafly is moving into a larger Seattle office space as it expects its staff to grow.

The Verge looks at how Facebook continues to ban ads for CBD products.

New dark web drug-selling sites continue to pop up as law enforcement shuts down their predecessors.

The Patterson Inn in Denver, Colorado is seeking permission for its guests to use marijuana on site.

/ CULTURE

Travel writer Rick Steves spoke about marijuana policy in a C-SPAN interview.

Make sure to subscribe to get Marijuana Moment’s daily dispatch in your inbox.

Photo courtesy of Mike Latimer.