Biden says ‘I know a lot of weed smokers’ (Newsletter: May 25, 2020)

Marijuana banking has 50-50 Senate shot, sponsor says; NY gov believes legal cannabis can pass; OK gov’s delivery veto stands

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

Presumptive Democratic presidential nominee Joe Biden said “I know a lot of weed smokers” to justify his ongoing opposition to marijuana legalization.

Lead marijuana banking bill sponsor Rep. Ed Perlmutter (D-CO) says there’s a “50–50” chance its language will pass the Senate as part of coronavirus legislation. The House included it in a COVID bill earlier this month, but Republicans have largely slammed the move.

New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo (D) said “I believe we will” legalize marijuana. Lawmakers will reportedly reconvene this week, though it’s unclear if cannabis will be on the agenda before the end of the 2020 session.

Oklahoma lawmakers declined to override Gov. Kevin Stitt’s (R) veto of a bill that would have authorized medical marijuana delivery services and allowed out-of-state patients to register with the program. The bill passed earlier this month with huge margins.

/ FEDERAL

President Trump retweeted a post with an image of White House Press Secretary Kayleigh McEnany edited to make it look like she is smoking a joint.

Federal prosecutors charged a Calexico City, California city councilman and another official with allegedly accepting bribes from an undercover FBI agent who they believed represented investors seeking to open a cannabis dispensary.

Sen. John Cornyn (R-TX) said in a Senate floor speech that the House coronavirus bill “mentions cannabis more times than it mentions doctors, hospitals, and nurses combined. It is an interesting tribute, if you ask me.”

Sen. John Thune (R-SD) said the House coronavirus bill’s marijuana provisions are “crazy stuff.”

Rep. Joe Wilson (R-SC) tweeted, “House Dems refuse lead. But it’s never been about leading, it’s about power. Americans and American business need help, instead House Dems pushes a bill that mentions cannabis more than jobs…”

Colorado Democratic Senate candidate John Hickenlooper, a former governor, tweeted, “Yes, I support decriminalizing & descheduling marijuana. Colorado set the gold standard, and I’m eager to work with you and Colorado’s cannabis industry and entrepreneurs to get this done in Washington.”

Florida Democratic congressional candidate Jen Perelman tweeted, “I support: ✅ decriminalization & legalization of marijuana. ✅ eliminating for-profit prisons. My opponent, Debbie Wasserman Schultz, does not.”

/ STATES

Utah’s treasurer joined the state attorney general in calling on Congress to pass marijuana banking legislation.

The Illinois Senate approved bills amending marijuana regulations.

Rhode Island regulators sent a bulletin about the use of hemp and hemp-derived CBD in the state’s medical cannabis program.

Guam regulators will meet to work on marijuana regulations in early June.

The Maryland Medical Cannabis Commission Policy Committee will meet to discuss draft regulations this week.

Here’s a look at pending Colorado marijuana reform legislation.

Two Pennsylvania Republican senators said they expect marijuana legalization to be up for discussion as a revenue measure to help fix the coronavirus outbreak’s economic damage.

The Texas Law Library posted a FAQ about the legality of CBD oil.

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/ LOCAL

Denver, Colorado officials posted materials for a Marijuana Licensing Work Group meeting on Tuesday.

/ INTERNATIONAL

Colombia’s ministry of justice approved the export of two million cannabis seeds.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A study of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania’s marijuana decriminalization ordinance found that the policy “significantly reduced the risk of marijuana arrests overall,” “absolute/relative racial disparities decreased for possession-based arrests” and “relative racial disparities increased for sales/manufacturing-based arrests.

A driving study found that “after smoking cannabis, overall mean speed was reduced,” that “no effects of therapeutic cannabis were found on straightaway mean speed or straightaway lateral control for either condition (standard or cognitive load) or on brake latency” and “after smoking therapeutic cannabis in the lab, changes in speed and lateral control were negatively correlated with the amount of cannabis smoked per day.”

/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS

The New York Times examined how CBD became a phenomenon.

/ BUSINESS

Massachusetts recreational marijuana retailers say consumers can expect a different shopping experience when they reopen from a coronavirus closure on Monday.

Florida medical cannabis sales surged last week.

Politico looks at the rise and fall of MedMen.

/ CULTURE

Model Kathy Ireland tweeted, “So much good could be done in the food and nutrition space with CBD additives.

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