New Jersey legal cannabis moves toward 2020 ballot (Newsletter: December 13, 2019)

Virginia legal marijuana bill & AG’s summit; GOP senator posts pic of dad growing hemp; Study: Bees like big hemp plants

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…

There are now 1,312 cannabis-related bills moving through state legislatures and Congress for 2019 sessions.

Never let a marijuana bill catch you by surprise with exclusive access to Marijuana Moment’s custom-built cannabis legislation tracker for just $25/month.

• David Alport of Bridge City Collective: “It is because of Tom’s hard work and relentless diligence in covering the cannabis industry that I rely on him for the most up to date information with legislative progress and beyond.”

https://www.patreon.com/marijuanamoment

/ TOP THINGS TO KNOW

Thai Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha publicly used medical marijuana oil at an event to announce the government’s new cannabis information portal. A mascot named Dr. Ganja was also present.

Virginia’s attorney general hosted a cannabis summit to coordinate reform plans in the state as Democrats take legislative control in 2020. Meanwhile, a delegate prefiled a new marijuana legalization bill.

Sen. Mike Rounds (R-SD) posted a picture on Facebook of his dad harvesting hemp plants about 80 years ago. Some local political observers believe the move is a dig at anti-cannabis South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem (R), who vetoed hemp legislation this year.

Democratic presidential candidate Andrew Yang contrasted rampant legal opioid prescribing with the ongoing federal criminalization of marijuana.

A study found that bees are attracted to hemp, especially tall plants, concluding that “plant height…was strongly correlated with bee species richness and abundance for hemp plots with taller varieties attracting a broader diversity of bee species.”

/ FEDERAL

The Department of Agriculture’s Rural Business-Cooperative Service said that hemp producers are eligible for the Value-Added Producer Grant program.

The Office of National Drug Control Policy is proposing to conduct surveys on how drug courts are responding to opioid issues.

A National Archives blog post about musician Willie Nelson recounts the time he says he smoked marijuana on the roof of the White House.

Former Surgeon General Joycelyn Elders participated in a panel about rethinking models of substance use, misuse and addiction.

Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT), a presidential candidate, tweeted, “When young people say they want to go to college without taking on mountains of debt, we must listen. When young people say they want to end the criminalization of marijuana, we must listen. When young people say they want a planet that is healthy and habitable, we must listen.”

Rep. Joe Kennedy (D-MA) called on the U.S. attorney for Massachusetts not to interfere with the opening of safe consumption sites for illegal drugs.

Former Senate Majority Leader Tom Daschle (D-SD) spoke at MJBizCon.

/ STATES

Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker (D) tweeted about the first court filings to expunge marijuana convictions, saying, “We will never be able to fully remedy the depth of that unfairness and the damage it visited upon so many families. But we can govern our state with the courage to admit the mistakes of our past—and the decency to correct the record and set a better path forward.”

Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts (R) said marijuana is a dangerous drug and that legalization will cause problems.

New York’s lieutenant governor said the administration will push hard to legalize cannabis in 2020. She also tweeted, “Recreational marijuana should be legalized, regulated and taxed in New York. This is about jobs and boosting our economy – and we will be making a push on this in the upcoming session.”

Michigan’s lieutenant governor is urging people to use legal marijuana responsibly. Separately, regulators published an industrial hemp FAQ.

Wisconsin Republican lawmakers filed a medical cannabis bill. The Senate majority leader said he opposes it and the Assembly speaker said his caucus “hasn’t reached a consensus” on the issue, while the Assembly majority leader is on board. A spokesperson for Gov. Tony Evers (D) said “it’s good to see some Republicans following the lead of Democrats to support an idea that’s overwhelmingly popular with Wisconsinites.”

The California Developmental and Reproductive Toxicant Identification Committee unanimously voted to declare THC a risk to pregnant women and developing fetuses, a move that will require warning labels on cannabis products.

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

Oklahoma regulators reported that medical cannabis taxes generated nearly $2.8 million in November.

New Jersey regulators issued an additional medical cannabis license.

—
Marijuana Moment is already tracking more than 1,000 cannabis bills in state legislatures and Congress this year. Patreon supporters pledging at least $25/month get access to our interactive maps, charts and hearing calendar so they don’t miss any developments.

Learn more about our marijuana bill tracker and become a supporter on Patreon to get access.
—

/ LOCAL

The Lake County, Indiana Council gave initial approval to a proposal to let police ticket and fine people for low-level marijuana possession instead of arrest them.

Cook County, Illinois’s state’s attorney personally filed the first court motions to clear low-level marijuana convictions.

Chicago, Illinois’s mayor tweeted, “Cannabis legalization cannot happen without expunging the records of past marijuana use and possession. We know all too well that it’s black and brown people who have been locked up for it, denied housing and jobs. I applaud @SAKimFoxx and her efforts to get this done quickly.”

The Oakland, California City Council approved a marijuana business tax break opposed by the mayor.

/ INTERNATIONAL

A New Zealand government-commissioned report recommended that policymakers “strengthen regulation of alcohol, legalise and regulate personal use of cannabis, and consider that for all drugs, treating personal drug use as a health issue, with more funding towards prevention, education and treatment.”

The Canadian government reported that more than C$908 million worth of marijuana was sold in the first year of legalization.

A Mexican senator filed a medical cannabis bill.

/ SCIENCE & HEALTH

A study found that “mice voluntarily consume both cannabinoids and opioids via gelatin, and that cannabinoids provide long-term relief of chronic pain states.”

A review revealed the “therapeutic potential of LSD to reduce psychiatric symptomatology, mainly in alcoholism” and found that “the vast majority of authors describe significant and positive short-term changes in patients.”

/ ADVOCACY, OPINION & ANALYSIS

The Cannabis Information Project is a new educational effort founded by major marijuana companies including Columbia Care, Acreage Holdings, Canopy Growth and Cresco Labs.

The National Narcotic Officers’ Associations Coalition is opposing efforts to automatically expunge marijuana convictions.

AASA, The School Superintendents Association published a debate about whether it would be OK for a school administrator to accept a gift of marijuana from appreciative parents.

/ BUSINESS

Green Angel CBD, whose hemp shipment was seized by New York City police, plans to sue the city.

MedMen Enterprises Inc. laid off another 20% of its corporate employees, meaning that in the past 30 days it has cut corporate staff by more than 40%.

Wayv launched a digital payment solution for the marijuana industry.

Cowen, Inc. and Marijuana Business Daily launched a research distribution partnership.

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