Inside McConnell’s cannabis industry lunch (Newsletter: October 11, 2019)

Mexican Senate leader: legal marijuana vote this month; Poll: NYers back legalization; Netflix & MedMen team up to promo Breaking Bad film

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

A study funded by the Department of Justice concluded that marijuana legalization “did not have a noticeable impact on indicators in states that bordered those that legalized” and that “there were no noticeable indications of an increase in arrests related to transportation or trafficking offenses in states along the northern or southern borders.”

A poll found that New Yorkers support legalizing marijuana, 56%-36%, and rank cannabis as the least serious public health problem in a list that includes alcohol, obesity, tobacco and opioids.

The Senate leader of Mexico’s ruling party said lawmakers plan to vote to legalize marijuana by the end of this month, but he’s not supportive of a recently filed bill to create a state-run cannabis company.

Netflix and MedMen teamed up to promote the new Breaking Bad film coming out on Friday, with the first stop in a multi-city scavenger hunt for tickets to the premiere taking place at a Los Angeles cannabis dispensary.

/ FEDERAL

Surgeon General Jerome Adams took exception to the Philadelphia Inquirer editorial board’s endorsement of marijuana legalization.

Addiction experts are outraged that a former pharmaceutical lobbyist was named as  a member of the National Advisory Council on Drug Abuse.

South Bend, Indiana Mayor Pete Buttigieg (D), a presidential candidate, spoke about his support for legalizing marijuana.

Rep. Tulsi Gabbard (D-HI) tweeted, “The so-called War on Drugs turns ordinary Americans into criminals for using marijuana but lets those responsible for creating the opioid crisis go unpunished. We must act now and pass my bipartisan bill, the Ending Federal Marijuana Prohibition Act.”

Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) will speak at a marijuana justice rally outside the Capitol on Tuesday.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY) tweeted about prison abolition, saying, “Whether it’s punitive sentencing for marijuana possession or jailing people for their poverty & letting the rich free through systems like cash bail, we wrongly incarcerate far, far too many people.”

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA) tweeted, “For far too long, the failed War on Drugs has disproportionately harmed communities of color. As states around the country decriminalize cannabis, it’s critical we create real #MarijuanaJustice”

Rep. Denver Riggleman (R-VA) tweeted, “I am excited about Virginia’s inclusion in the hemp crop insurance pilot program.  This is great news for #VA05.” He also discussed hemp with the Japanese ambassador.

Rep. Karen Bass (D-CA) tweeted, “The FAFSA application shouldn’t ask about drug convictions. This week, I introduced legislation to ban the question. As we rethink the War on Drugs and policies that came with it, we must address all aspects that impacted our communities.”

/ STATES

California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) vetoed a bill to redirect marijuana tax revenues to after-school programs. Separately, a court ruled that police cannot search a car based on the presence of a small amount of cannabis.

Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker (R) is calling on lawmakers to enact impaired driving legislation, saying that as the state “continues to implement adult use of marijuana, including potential social consumption sites, it’s vital that we update our impaired driving laws to ensure the safety of everyone who uses the Commonwealth’s roads.”

New Mexico’s House speaker is taking exception to a newspaper editorial about his potential conflicts of interest stemming from work for the marijuana industry.

A Florida judge ruled that a correctional officer’s employment termination was improper because a positive drug test may have resulted from using legal CBD.

Kentucky’s agriculture commissioner gave lawmakers an update on the state’s hemp program.

South Dakota lawmakers are working on a revised hemp bill.

Wisconsin Democratic lawmakers said legalizing medical cannabis is a priority for the fall legislative session.

New Jersey regulators tweeted that 40,000 patients have enrolled in the state’s medical cannabis program since Gov. Phil Murphy (D) took office. Separately, a senator wrote to the governor that he’s “frustrated and impatient with what appears to be procrastination by your administration” to work on legislation to decriminalize marijuana.

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/ LOCAL

An Asheville, North Carolina city councilman was fired from Habitat for Humanity after he protested an anti-marijuana policy and refused to take a drug test.

/ INTERNATIONAL

UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson dismissed climate change protestors as “nose-ringed,” “hemp-smelling” “crusties.”

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern took issue with a radio host’s claim that “you are pro drugs, you’re loose on drugs, you’re soft on drugs, you want to vote on drugs.”

Brazilian regulators delayed a vote on medical cannabis proposals.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A study found that “THC alone produced robust analgesia equivalent to the full cannabis extract, whereas terpenes alone did not produce analgesia,” suggesting that “the analgesic activity of cannabis is largely mediated by THC, whereas terpenes alone do not cause alterations in cannabis-mediated analgesia.”

/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS

The Drug Policy Alliance released a drug education curriculum for high school students.

American Trucking Associations discussed the implications of marijuana legalization at its conference.

/ BUSINESS

Surterra Wellness changed its name to Parallel.

Leafly launched a program to train and certify budtenders.

Breath of Life International Ltd. is pausing its plans to list on the Toronto Stock Exchange until market conditions improve.

Sundial Growers Inc. was sued for allegedly failing to disclose that a customer returned half a ton of marijuana tainted with mold and parts of rubber gloves.

Financial Times looks at the rise of marijuana-focused exchange-traded funds.

/ CULTURE

Snoop Dogg appeared at an Oregon marijuana dispensary’s grand opening.

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