Federal watchdog weighs in on USDA hemp process (Newsletter: December 3, 2019)

Schumer wants more time for hemp comments; Castro open to drug decrim; Psychedelic reform efforts in 100 cities

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/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

The Drug Enforcement Administration finalized its plan to authorize the growing of 3.2 million grams of marijuana in the U.S. in 2020—a 30 percent increase from this year’s quota.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) is calling on the U.S. Department of Agriculture  to extend its public comment period on hemp regulations so that stakeholders have more time to raise concerns about problems with the proposed rules.

Former Housing and Urban Development Sec. Julian Castro (D), a presidential candidate, said he’s open to considering decriminalization of drugs beyond marijuana and that he backs local moves to open safe consumption facilities for illicit substances.

Activists in nearly 100 U.S. cities are working on local measures to decriminalize psychedelics such as psilocybin, ayahuasca, ibogaine and mescaline.

/ FEDERAL

A Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study found “further support [for] a potential role for vitamin E acetate” in severe lung injuries.

The Department of Health and Human Services Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality is asking the public for help identifying studies on treating primary headache during pregnancy and specifically identified CBD as a potential intervention.

Supreme Court Justice Elena Kagan said that a past case involving the strip search of a teenage girl by male school administrators who were looking for marijuana and other illicit drugs demonstrates the need for diversity on the court.

Sen. Cory Booker (D-NJ), a presidential candidate, spoke about racial disparities in marijuana arrests. He also joked again about how he thinks french fries are more dangerous than cannabis.

House Rules Committee Chairman James McGovern (D-MA) said he thinks leadership should hold floor votes on both a far-reaching bill to deschedule marijuana and fund programs to repair the harms of the drug war as well as separate legislation simply respecting state laws.

Rep. Ro Khanna (D-CA) tweeted, “Marijuana laws have disproportionately decimated communities of color, victims of a system built to punish instead of prevent. Let’s reverse this failed policy, and spend our money on jobs programs and re-entry services, not locking more people up.”

Rep. Chellie Pingree (D-ME) tweeted, “Due to tomorrow’s forecast of snow, we’re postponing our roundtable with Maine hemp farmers about @USDA regulations. We’ll work to reschedule this listening session before the public comment period closes on 12/31.”

/ STATES

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) mentioned marijuana in a fundraising email he sent that warned about “the creep of socialism.”

Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds (R) said she doesn’t support legalizing marijuana and predicted that neighboring Illinois’s new law will cause “all kinds of problems.”

The Washington, D.C. Mayor’s Office of Community Affairs tweeted, “In 2014, 70% of DC voters passed Initiative 71 with the understanding that DC would then set up a tax and regulate system. Congress stepped in and prohibited DC from passing laws to regulate and tax marijuana.”

Michigan recreational marijuana sales began, with the first purchase being made by longtime activist and former cannabis prisoner John Sinclair.

Maine regulators are expected to make marijuana business license applications available this week.

North Dakota activists plan to submit a proposed marijuana legalization ballot measure this week.

Rhode Island’s top medical cannabis regulator is leaving to take a job in New York.

South Dakota lawmakers are expected to discuss hemp at a forum next week.

A New Jersey senator who opposes marijuana legalization said enacting simple decriminalization would be a victory.

Here’s a look at how patients are utilizing Louisiana’s medical cannabis law.

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/ LOCAL

Evanston, Illinois officials approved a plan to use marijuana tax revenue to fund a reparations program for communities “unfairly policed and damaged” by the drug war.

Denver, Colorado after-school programs are now taking in about $1.5 million a year in marijuana revenue.

/ INTERNATIONAL

Glasgow, Scotland launched a heroin-assisted treatment program.

Thailand’s public health minister is proposing to let farmers grow medical cannabis.

A Cayman Islands lawmaker wants to conduct a national survey including questions on decriminalization and legalization of marijuana.

German regulators halted the sale of Aurora Cannabis products while they review the company’s production process.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A review concluded that “eight studies reported associations between policies decriminalizing marijuana and reduced prescription opioid use, 1 study was inconclusive, and the retrospective cohort study reported an increase in adverse opioid-related outcomes.”

A study of people who use drugs found that “most participants supported various models of legalization, although the perspectives on these models were diverse” and that “overriding these views was skepticism over the government’s role in regulating a legal market, as well as concern for the personal agency of people who use drugs under a medically regulated drug supply model.”

/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS

The Daily Beast examines marijuana charges against Missouri cannabis lobbyist Eapen Thampy.

/ BUSINESS

4Front Ventures Corp. reported systemwide pro forma quarterly revenue of $16.9 million.

KHC Enterprises is suing KC Hemp Company over alleged trademark violations.

The Wall Street Journal looks at how hemp farmers are facing a supply glut.

Former marijuana industry executives are investing in psychedelics firms.

/ CULTURE

Basketball player Dion Waiters apologized for a panic attack he had on a team flight after consuming a marijuana edible.

Comedian Ali Wong recommended that people give virtual reality a try, saying, “It’s like Marijuana. It’s the future!”

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